See Me Not
by Maresia Eterna
Summary: [COMPLETE]“Funny, they keep saying nothing scares them, and yet they're all blind.“ she commented, and Tsunade blinked. “They're blind too each other, but most importantly, they're blind to their own hearts.“ ShikamaruOC, NarutoHinata, SasukeSakura
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and the unknown characters.

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**Summary:** "I believe there has to be a reason," she whispered, and Sakura stared at her, "for him not to want to be close to you. And I think that reason is fear. Fear of failing and fear of you dying in his arms." Shikamaru/OC, Naruto/Hinata, Sasuke/Sakura

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**ATTENTION:** Okay people, I must warn you now that **_English_** is my **_second_** language, so please forgive the mistakes. Also, I'm not a fan of Sasuke/Sakura, but I thought I could try to give them a chance in this plot. Thanks for the attention, and I hope you'll enjoy this.

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**The Quote That Made This Fic Possible:** "She doesn't know anything. Guys don't like thin girls as much as girls think they do. In reality, they like girls with a bit of meat. You can say the same about girls, too." Nara Shikamaru, _episode 107_.

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**See Me Not**

**PROLOGUE**

Invisibility.

So many wish to have such power, but those who think in such way do not know the true meaning of being invisible…to be unseen by the world. After all, the famous ones are those who always appear on the spotlight. No one else can take their place. But truth is that just like famous people exist, there are also those who exist and yet are not seen. There are those who try to be acknowledged and yet cannot leave the shadows of life.

However, there is always a moment in life…one moment that can be short or long, where someone steps through darkness. And then, invisibility fades away, and for a second sunlight prevails.

The only question is; are those opposite words ready for such clash? Perhaps yes, perhaps not…only those who go through it can say. After all, to see what is behind invisibility means to look past appearances, and some times the world refuses to allow such to happen.

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Everything was a tumult. Stretchers kept been pushing inside, people running from hall to hall, some shouting orders, others crying out for help. Tears were staining the dark green floor while bodies continued to ache as time seemed not to roll by. Blood was already staining the white walls and bare hands, while empty eyes kept staring at the bright lights in the ceiling.

Heels against the floor kept echoing through the hospital as sweat slowly got mixed with despair and anger, souls being pushed to the limit in desperate ways to save other people. Desperate ways to save those who were dear to someone else…

"Oh no! Sasuke-kun!" a voice shouted as other stretcher was pushed inside, and long pink locks followed a pale head as the girl tried to reach out for it. Lying on the stretcher was a young man, wounds covering his face while his black hair contrasted greatly with his pale complexion. "Sasuke-kun, hang on!"

"Coming through!" someone yelled, and a pair of very light lavender eyes with while pupils widened when another stretcher appeared at the entrance of the hospital. Long indigo-blue streaks were pulled away from a pale face as the girl made her way to the newcomer.

"Naruto-kun."

"Help, he's dying here!" someone else shouted as a third stretcher was pulled inside, but another medical immediately run to it. A boy with spiky brown hair was lying there, his face covered with dirty and wounds. "We have two more outside!"

"Tsunade-sama!" a woman with black hair shouted, her black eyes scanning the whole hall until she spot a blonde haired woman on the opposite side. "Tsunade-sama! Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun and Shikamaru-kun have just arrived! And there are more arriving! We have to do something!"

"What do you expect me to do, Shizune? I can't leave this patient." the blonde woman spoke without raising her amber coloured eyes from the wound she was curing. "Just take care of the critical ones first, and sent all the others to rooms. All the halls of the hospital are filled with wounded, and its difficult for the medicals to take care of the injured."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune spoke before turning around, and run to the two stretchers that had just been pushed inside the hospital. "Take those two to the ICU 7! Those who are only injured must go to the west wing of the hospital! Move!"

After what seemed to be a never-ending night, the sun slowly rose from behind various tall trees, chasing away the darkness of the night while all shadows were forced to hide in corners. Birds were finally flying through the sky that seemed to have been painted by a rainbow of colours, and life slowly returned to the streets of Konohagakure. At the hospital things had finally calmed down, and all patients were now resting in the proper rooms while others were still in the ICU, being cured by the most professional medicals.

It was in the middle of the silence that heels were heard against the marbled floor, and a pale hand turned a doorknob around before pushing a door. Slowly Tsunade walked inside the room, her amber eyes gazing around, and the corner of her lips curled up into a small smile. In that room were four beds, three of them occupied, and beside each one of them was one single chair. And two of those three chairs were being occupied by two sleeping girls, both of them with their heads down while their hairs kept their expressions hidden from the world.

Now with light steps, Tsunade approached the first girl, her long pink hair caressing both her cheeks as she continued to sleep, completely oblivious of the world. Silently, Tsunade rested a hand on the girl's shoulder, and shook her gently.

"Sakura, go home." Tsunade spoke as she eyed the boy lying on the bed, "Sasuke is not going to wake up any time soon, and this is not the best place for you to sleep. You can come back later, but only after showering, eating and resting."

"Huh? What? Sasuke-kun!" the girl exclaimed, jumping from the chair in surprise, but when her pale green eyes fell over the sleeping boy she glanced to her side in confusion. "Tsunade-sama? D-did something happen while I was sleeping? I didn't mean to fall asleep, but I j-"

"Sakura, you're tired." Tsunade interrupted suddenly, "I want you to wake Hinata up, and go home. I don't want to see you here in this condition; you won't help Sasuke by falling asleep in the middle of the hall."

"Bu-"

"I don't want to find you here when I return to check on them." Tsunade continued as Sakura closed her mouth, and then she sighed. "I understand you're worried, but Sasuke is out of danger now. And the same goes for everyone else; so stop worrying."

"I could never do that…" Sakura whispered, and the look in Tsunade's face softened as she watched the girl focus her attention on the sleeping boy. "I could never stop worrying about him…"

"Start worrying about yourself, then." Tsunade spoke, resting her hands on her hips, "Wake Hinata up, and return only after taking a good rest. If I see you again looking like you look now, I'll forbid you to come here, understand?"

"Yes." Sakura said almost immediately, and Tsunade winked at her before turning around. "Hum, Tsunade-sama, thanks for letting Hinata and I stay here during the night."

"Don't make me regret my decision." Tsunade replied before walking towards the door, and moments later she left the room, closing the door soundlessly behind her. For a moment Tsunade leaned against the door of the room, listening as Sakura tried to wake Hinata up, but she looked up when footsteps echoed through the empty hall.

"You better go rest too." Tsunade spoke suddenly before straightening up, and with a small wave she started walking away. "I don't want any of my best subordinates to get ill just because they're too stubborn to see that they're already at their limit."

As Tsunade's footsteps faded in the air, an eighteen-year-old boy was struggling to open his eyes as pain continued to run through all of his already aching limbs. A groan escaped from his lips, but his ears seemed to grow deaf for he barely hear, but despite of all the distress, he still managed to sense someone beside him.

With the small amount of energy he had managed to gather the boy opened his eyes slightly, but all he saw was a blur. A blur of someone that was standing beside him, watching his heartbeat on the machine, but it was then that the person turned to him.

"You're not supposed to be awake." the person said, but his ears refused to work properly so all he heard was a muffled voice, words getting mixed with each other. "You should rest more, Shikamaru, you're not healed yet."

With a small groan, he closed his eyes again, and took a deep breath only to wince when pain shot from his chest again. Then, he felt a warm hand resting over his aching torso, and a gentle green light managed to penetrate his closed eyelids. Pain started to grow fainter gradually, and moments later he dared to take a deep breath only to notice that no pain shot from his chest again.

What he did notice though was the faint scent of lilies the air seemed to carry to him.

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That was a situation that needed to be mended. There had to be a plausible explanation for what had happened, but truth was that there was no flaw in the plan that had been conceived for that mission. All possibilities had been meticulously examined, all questions and all answers had been studied…

So, what had happened?

The mission had been observed closely ever since there could be no mistake, mostly because of those who were involved, but still… Everything that had not been supposed to occur, had happened. The mission was unsuccessful, and all Konohagakure received were injured ninja, most of them in critical condition.

And that was other thing that had no apparent explanation; who or what had attacked the group? A group of three full Jounin, that had also taken a minor group of Chuunin….

It just did not make any sense.

With a tired sigh, Tsunade rose her eyes from the reports she had received and studied. Everyone had behaved according to plan; everyone had done the correct things, but still the three Jounin were still at the hospital.

The best Jounin of their generation.

"Tsunade-sama." a voice called suddenly, and the woman gazed at the door of the office, her chin now resting on the palm of her hand. "Have you discovered what went wrong?"

"Humph, apparently they did the right procedures." Tsunade started, staring down at the papers again. "Two Jounin stood behind while the other took the Chuunin and the feudal family to a safe place. As expected, the Jounin decided to stay behind after some time just in case the enemy managed to deceive the others."

"Speaking about the enemy, have you figured out who attacked the group?" Shizune questioned, stopping in front of the desk, and Tsunade sighed before grabbing one of the reports.

"Only two Chuunin mention about listening to a roar." Tsunade commented before looking at the other woman, "This information can be considerate irrelevant due to the lack of details though."

"But Tsunade-sama, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun and Shikamaru-kun were defeated by whatever could have roared." Shizune started, her hands resting on the desk. "This should not be considerate irrelevant."

"Hai, hai, I never said it was an unnecessary information, Shizune, I simply stated what everyone will think." Tsunade spoke before standing up, and then she walked towards the window behind her chair. "I'm aware this situation cannot be taken lightly, but…"

Suddenly Tsunade opened the window, and stared outside, feeling the wind blowing her hair away from her face. What could they do? There was simply no way of finding out what had happened, especially with the Jounin still unconscious.

"I'm sure they're going to wake up tomorrow," Shizune spoke suddenly, and Tsunade looked at her subordinated over her shoulder only to face a small smile, "and I'm positive they'll tell you what happened immediately. After all, you know how those three can be when they lose."

At those words Tsunade nodded, and gazed outside the window once more, her amber eyes falling over the many houses of the Hidden Village of Leaves. She could only hope they would be able to discover what had happened, but something deep inside of her, probably because of her age and experience, was telling Tsunade something was going to happen.

**To Be Continued**

**Attention:** Alright people, I have a _very_ important question to ask, which is about the fourth (and probably last) pairing of this fic. As I said at the beginning, I am _not_ a Sasuke/Sakura fan, but I must admit this couple could, eventually, work out in this plot. Nevertheless, I still must ask you with whom you think I should pair the last OC with. I know that there's no information about her yet, but I still need to have an idea about it in order to continue to write this. So, the possible characters I can use, and that will still make sense in this fic are: Sasuke, Neji, Kiba or perhaps Gaara (I guess I can squeeze him in this fic). I can also write a love triangle between OC/Sasuke/Sakura, but I'm not sure about it.

So, even though I'm aware you would probably prefer if I offered you some sort of information about the last OC, I still feel the need to ask you this. You can also change your mind later, but I really need to have an idea about the possible pairing in order to continue with this fic.

I apology for this huge note, and once again, thanks for reading!


	2. Within Walls of Pearl

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and the unknown characters. Nothing else.

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I want to thank **max-dylan-lover**, **Brazilian Phoenix**, **DramaPoette** _and_ **Pie** for your support and help. I also thank you for giving me your opinion about the pairing, and I promise I'll keep your words in mind. I also decided to post this chapter now because the prologue was rather small. I hope you enjoy it!

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**Chapter 1**

Within Walls of Pearls

Every little noise resembled to a bell ringing over his head, and such was slowly forming a major headache. Every word spoken by the voices he was listening to resembled to daggers poking his head. However, the worse was definitely the crushing sound that aside of being driving him crazy, also gave him the mental picture of Akimichi Chouji eating chips.

How troublesome.

"Sasuke-kun, are you sure…?"

"Onegai, Naruto-kun, don't…"

"I'm fine Hinata-chan, see?"

"Humph."

"Hey, this is a hospital! And there are more people resting in this room, you know?"

Oh, he could recognize all those people's voices with no sweat, but at same time he could not help but think about how troublesome that situation was. Being in the same room as Haruno Sakura, Hyuuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke could only mean troubles. Lots and lots of problems, but apparently Akimichi Chouji was also there, so he guessed he could give it a try.

Unhurriedly a pair of eyelids fluttered open only to reveal a pair of brown eyes that focused on the white ceiling. Everyone else had obviously failed to notice that he was now awake, because the commotion continued. In fact, as his body gradually woke up from the night, Shikamaru could swear that his friends were being louder than before.

"Tsk." Shikamaru managed to say despite of his sore throat, his eyes never leaving the ceiling. "How troublesome…"

"Yeah, they have no respect fo-Shikamaru!" a young man shouted suddenly, and Shikamaru immediately covered his ears before sighing. "Man, you're finally awake!"

"I can see that." Shikamaru retorted, raising himself a bit, but pain shot from his back, and he fell against the pillow like a dead weight. "What happened to the family?"

"They were escorted to their country safely." Chouji answered as he stopped eating his chips. "Say, Shizune-san came here to tell us that you, Naruto and Sasuke will have to write reports and answer some questions as soon as you feel up to it."

"As soon as we feel up to it, or as soon as those two leave?" Shikamaru questioned, eyeing both Sakura and Hinata before sighing again. "This is such a drag."

"Ah sorry, next time I'll tell Ino to come." Chouji replied, and Shikamaru turned to him at same time the boy chuckled. "Although I think she would be more interested in Sasuke rather than in you."

"Humph, women are so troublesome." Shikamaru retorted, watching as Sakura tried to feed an annoyed Sasuke, while Hinata was trying to keep an enthusiastic and hyper Naruto in bed. "Bah, troublesome indeed."

"Ohayo, Hana-chan!" Chouji greeted suddenly with a wide smile on his face, and Shikamaru glanced at his friend confusedly before staring at the door of the room.

"Ohayo, Chouji-kun; when did you arrive?" a girl questioned, her brown hair falling curly yet wildly down her shoulders. Her eyes, of such a dark brown colour that they resembled to hazel-nuts, appeared to be emanating happiness even when she turned to Shikamaru. "I'm glad to see you're awake."

"You know, I tried to tell you I was here, but another medical informed me that you were busy." Shikamaru heard Chouji explain as he continued to watch the girl walking to his side, a long and closed medical-coat hiding her figure. "I thought you would show up here sooner or later, so I decided to check on Shikamaru and wait for you."

"Thanks for waiting, but you know you're not supposed to be eating that at this hour." Hana commented, and Chouji shrugged before grabbing a bunch of chips and eat them. Then, Hana turned to Sakura and Hinata. "Girls, Tsunade-sama said she's going to show up soon so take a look on the guys' wounds."

"Oh, hey Hana, I didn't notice you had arrived." Sakura said suddenly, gazing at the other girl, who said nothing in reply. "Thanks for letting us know."

"Yes, thank you Hana-chan." Hinata said with a small smile, a soft blush covering her pale cheeks.

"Hum, who are you?" Shikamaru questioned, a bored tone on his words as the girl turned to him, a small smile on her face. "I mean, I never saw you around here."

"Oh, sorry, I'm Fuzen Hana." the girl introduced herself. "I hope you don't mind me taking a look at your wounds because I told Tsunade-sama I would do it."

"Trust me, Shikamaru, she's the best medical-nin in Konoha!" Chouji exclaimed suddenly, a wide smile on his face, and Hana blushed ten shades of red as she started to examine Shikamaru's right arm.

"Don't say that, Chouji, the best medical-nin is Tsunade-sama." Hana started as her fingers played with the bandage that was concealing a wound." And then there's Shizune-san, Hinata-chan, Sakura-chan and the rest of the staff."

"You know, I'm not going to answer that." Chouji said as he stuffed his face with more chips, but Shikamaru ignored the conversation, his eyes locked with the four friends in front of him.

Sakura was checking a wound on Sasuke's arm, glowing for being able to be taking care of the boy she liked. Hinata, on the contrary, now resembled to a tomato since she had to examine Naruto's side. The two girls, although now more mature, still behaved oddly; Sakura still behaved like a little girl, never leaving Sasuke's side while Hinata still stuttered and blushed when around Naruto.

It was quite a drag to notice that some things never change.

"Shikamaru, do you mind raising your shirt?" Hana asked suddenly, and Shikamaru sighed before letting her check the wound he had not even noticed he had on his back although he had felt pain.

Being injured and not remember why was just too troublesome.

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With a content sigh, Sakura finished combing her damp hair before checking herself out on the mirror. She truly loved the pink Chinese shirt her mother had bough for her along with the short black skirt and tight short shorts she wore underneath; those clothes had nothing to do with her old outfit. Nope, the one she had now on was gave her more freedom of movement, and, Sakura had not been able _not_ to notice, the clothes she was wearing now revealed her curves.

And perhaps, just perhaps, Sasuke would finally look at her, and see a woman instead of a little and annoying girl.

At that thought Sakura blushed slightly at same time she giggled. Oh, even now, at the age of seventeen, she could not help but dream about Sasuke actually notice that she was something else rather than just a member of the team.

With a smile gracing her features, Sakura left the room, and said goodbye to her mother before leaving the house. She had done what Tsunade had asked her to; she had showered, eaten and rested. Of course that her rest had only taken five minutes, but Tsunade did not need to know that; besides, Sakura wanted to check on Sasuke as soon as possible.

"Hinata-chan!" Sakura shouted when she caught a glimpse of long indigo-blue hair, and the other girl looked over her shoulder. "You're going to the hospital too, ne? What about if we go together?"

"H-hai." Hinata answered, the corner of her lips curling into a small smile that Sakura returned as the two of them continued to walk. "Sakura-chan, w-what do you think that happened to them?"

"I don't know, but I was told that Tsunade-sama is trying to find it out." Sakura replied, looking at her friend. "Tsunade-sama is also waiting for Sasuke-kun and the others' reports; she can't do anything without them either."

"Oh." Hinata muttered before starting to play with her thumbs, her almost white eyes locked with the ground. "Have you asked Sasuke-kun about it?"

"I asked him what happened, yes." Sakura answered with a short nod, "You know, sometimes I think I should have become a Jounin like Tenten, just to help Sasuke-kun, but I know I'm better outside the field, as a medical-nin."

"You're a fantastic medical-nin, Sakura-chan, never think otherwise." Hinata said suddenly, blushing terribly, and Sakura blinked at her friend's words before smiling at her.

"Arigatou, Hinata-chan, you're a great medical-nin too." she complimented, but her words only made Hinata blush even harder. She was still too shy for her own good.

As the two girls continued walking, Sakura started thinking about how she had become friends with Hinata. It started when Sakura had become Tsunade's subordinate; at the time Hinata was still doing missions along with Shino and Kiba. Sakura did not know the _real_ reason why Hinata had decided to become a medical-nin, but truth was that even after starting to learn everything about medicine with Shizune's help, Hinata still accepted to go on missions when it was necessary.

"Ne, Hinata-chan…" Sakura called-out, and the other girl gazed at her. "Anou…did you decide to become a medical-nin because of Naruto?"

"Hum…n-no." Hinata started, gazing down at her hands, a deep shade of pink returning to her pale cheeks. "I guess he made part of my decision, but I-I just wanted to show that I could change a little bit. That's why I asked for Shizune-san to help me. I didn't want to leave Shino and Kiba alone, but I also wanted to improve my knowledge so hum…I thought I err...could give it a try. You think it was silly?"

"No, of course not!" Sakura exclaimed as she shook her head, and then she smiled. "I decided to become a medical-nin because I knew that was the best I could do. Besides, I can help Sasuke-kun this way."

Moments later the two girls arrived at Konoha Hospital, and now in silence they made their way to the room where their 'patients' were. Both were aware that Tsunade-sama was probably there too, but they also knew it was their responsibility to go check on their friends…on the boys they tried so hard to help and protect…

Slowly Sakura opened the door of the room, and blinked when she noticed that Tsunade and Kakashi were there. Not only that, but Naruto was also moving around while Sasuke was standing, leaning against a wall; Shikamaru was the only one sitting on his bed, with his hands behind his neck as he stared at the ceiling.

"Hum…what's going on?" Sakura finally dared to ask, and both Tsunade and Kakashi gazed over their shoulders. "I thought they weren't supposed to leave their beds yet."

"And they weren't." Tsunade answered as she turned around before sighing when Naruto tripped on his own feet while doing a weird dance, and he promptly fell on his face.

"N-Naruto-kun." Hinata stuttered before rushing to the boy's side, and help him to sit down on the floor while checking his face. "A-are you a-alright?"

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered without looking away from the ceiling, and slowly Sakura made her way towards Sasuke, her hands clasped behind her back.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun, you should be resting." she said with a small smile gracing her features. "I told you, you should stay in bed at least for today before getting up."

Sasuke said nothing as he continued to stare through the window beside him. He had a frown on his face, but Sakura could see that he was thinking deeply; she figured it probably had to do with what had happened during the mission, so she decided not to question.

"Very well people, calm down." Kakashi spoke, the black mask still covering most of his face expect for his right eye. "You know why we're here, so lets not waste more time. Naruto, why don't you tell us what happened?"

"I'll kill him!" Naruto shouted, jumping to his feet while his fist was raised on the air. "I don't know how he managed to surprise us, but I'll kill him!"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered from the floor, her eyes locked with the young man, and Kakashi sighed as Tsunade focused her attention on someone else.

"Shikamaru, care to offer us more details?" Tsunade questioned, and the boy looked away from the ceiling to stare at her, and then he sighed.

"Sasuke was at the front, and Naruto followed the family along with the Chuunin." Shikamaru started in a bored tone. "I was following Sasuke, and everything was going fine until we reached the frontier. When we were about to cross it, there was a roar."

"Yes, I read about it in the reports the Chuunin filled when they arrived." Tsunade interrupted, and Shikamaru nodded before continuing.

"There's nothing much to say about what happened next; Naruto decided to get all hasty and decided to go check what was going on." Shikamaru gazed at the ceiling again, "I told Sasuke to protect the family along with the Chuunin, but then something attacked Naruto and I told Sasuke to take the family away and to take the Chuunin with him."

"What attacked Naruto?" Kakashi asked, and Shikamaru shrugged, his eyes never leaving the ceiling.

"A black panther."

"A black panther? _That_ threw you all to the hospital?" Sakura questioned suddenly, and Shikamaru sighed again before shrugging.

"It wasn't one panther, there were three of them!" Naruto shouted suddenly. "Shikamaru and I started fighting them, while Sasuke left with the Chuunin and the family."

"But if you stood behind, fighting with the panthers, how can Sasuke be here as well?" Tsunade asked suddenly, a hand on her hip, and everyone turned to look at the member of the Uchiha clan. "What happened?"

"Humph, I don't remember." Sasuke grunted, and everyone looked weirdly at him. "Better deal with it, because I don't."

"Are you telling me that you remember nothing about what happened?" Tsunade inquired, and when Sasuke looked at her right in the eye, she sighed.

"If Sasuke-kun says he doesn't remember, then he doesn't remember." Sakura spoke suddenly, turning to face everyone that was staring at Sasuke as if he had three heads instead of one. "Why would he lie about it?"

"Hum very well, I'll try to find out what happened with this information." Kakashi said before gazing at Tsunade, and nod slightly. "Take care kids, and don't do anything I wouldn't do."

With a small wave, Kakashi left the room, and for a moment there was only silence. Tsunade was standing in the middle of the room, a hand still on her hip, but Sakura noticed the look on her face; she was thinking about something…

However, when Sakura was about to ask what was wrong, the door of the room was opened, and Hana walked inside. For a moment, the newcomer just stared at everyone inside the room, her hand still resting on the doorknob.

"Oh sorry, I thought it was time to check on Shikamaru-san." Hana spoke apologetically, but Turbaned turned to her when the girl was about to walk away.

"You can come in, I was just leaving anyway." the older woman said, and Hana dropped her hand as she bowed in respect before walking inside. Immediately she made her way to Shikamaru's bed; Tsunade, on the meantime, glanced at everybody else, a strange look on her face.

"Tomorrow I'll come to check on you again." she started. "Sakura, Hinata and Hana will keep an eye on you, but only I can say when you're allowed to leave the hospital. Try to leave sooner, and I'll go after you and tie you up to the bed myself."

Not bothering to say anything else, Tsunade left the room, leaving a surprised group behind. When the door closed, everyone started looking at each others, knowing that it was safer for them to listen to the Hokage's words if they wanted to avoid problems.

"N-Naruto-kun, I-I need to check y-your wounds." Hinata stuttered suddenly as she finally rose from the floor, and Naruto sighed before sitting on his bed, and let the girl examine his injuries.

Shikamaru, on the other hand, silently leaned forward and allowed Hana to take a look at his back. As for Sakura, she gently grasped Sasuke's arm, and mentally sighed in relief when he did not pull away. However, for some reason, Sakura looked at the boy's face, and noticed that something dark was growing in the depths of Sasuke's onyx-black eyes.

**To Be Continued…**


	3. Blooming Shades of Rainbow

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and the unknown characters. Nothing else.

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I want to leave here a special thanks to **Jojibear**. I also want to leave here my gratitude towards **Starchip13** _and_ **The** **Pirate Princess**.

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**Chapter 2**

Blooming Shades of Rainbow

"Go Hinata!" a male voice echoed through the forest, a flock of birds flying in the air as a reaction. "Yeah, hit him! C'mon! Show us what you can do!"

"Kiba-kun…"

A small cry left Hinata's lips when she suddenly lost her balance, and fell on the stream behind her. For a moment there was only silence until the same male voice started laughing. Hinata, on the contrary, was still sitting in the middle of the water.

"Are you alright?" a boy who had his body completely covered with a black shirt, a grey jacket over it, with the hood covering most of his face asked, raising a hand towards Hinata. "You're completely soaked."

"H-hai." Hinata stuttered as she accepted the help, and moments later she was already standing, her long and closed coat completely drenched. "Lets continue."

"No; it's time to take a break." the coated boy spoke as he pushed his sunglasses up his nose at same time he pulled Hinata away from the water. "You have been practicing all day; it's time for you to rest."

"But Shino…"

"It's time to stop, Hinata." the boy interrupted, "It's almost sunset, and you told us you still want to go to the hospital to check on Naruto. I take it you haven't changed your mind?"

"N-no." Hinata said, looking rather flushed, but she smiled slightly when a huge white dog appeared beside her, and Hinata cuddled its head. "Thanks for helping me, Akamaru."

At that the dog barked at same time it waved its tail. Slowly Hinata adverted her eyes to the owner of the dog that appeared in front of her, and the girl dropped her hand.

"You know you can always count on us to help you practice." the second boy said, a smirk on his face, "Besides, Akamaru needs to train too, so we're always up for another training session. All you have to do is call us."

"Arigatou, Kiba-kun." Hinata thanked, and the boy winked at her, the smirk still on his face. "But I guess Shino-kun is right; I have to go now. I'll talk to you later, ne?"

"Sure thing." Kiba replied, and Hinata bowed before walking away, but it was only when she was already out of sight that Kiba turned to Shino. "Never wondered about how long Naruto will take until he notices? This is taking an eternity, man."

"Naruto often misunderstands Hinata's actions." Shino started, his attention still focused on the path Hinata had taken to return to Konoha. "But I believe that one day he'll look at her, and see Hinata's true feelings."

"Well, until that day arrives, let me say that Naruto is too blind for his own good." Kiba sighed, and Akamaru barked in agreement while Shino said nothing in return.

On the meantime, Hinata's quick pace slowed down until she was simply walking, her eyes locked with her feet as she made her way towards the hospital. For quite some time it had become extremely difficult for her to face Naruto. It was not as if he had done something to upset her, but truth was that he had done nothing about her… He was still blind to her feelings…

But what hurt the most was the fact Hinata knew that Naruto would never look at her. Hinata knew about the boy's crush…she knew that Naruto liked Sakura, but the worse was that Hinata just could not blame him. After all, why would he see her, a timid and pathetic girl when Sakura was gorgeous, strong and determined?

Hinata was aware there was absolutely no possible association between her and Sakura – in any subject – and that was the main reason why Naruto would never acknowledge her true feelings for him. After all, Sakura was like the bright and cheerful pink of the rainbow, while she was the pale blue, fading into the sky.

Suddenly Hinata stopped her tracks, her eyes never leaving the ground as she clenched her hands into fists. She had become used to all that; to her being the weakest member of her family, to her being a failure no matter how hard she tried to change…to be invisible when surrounded by everybody else…

"Hinata-chan?" a voice called out suddenly, and the girl looked over her shoulder in surprise, not really expecting to meet someone on the way. "Are you going to the hospital?"

"Y-yes, what about you?" Hinata questioned as Hana stopped beside her, but she blushed slightly when the other girl gazed down at her wet clothes. "I err…I'll change when we arrive at the hospital."

"I think you should, unless you want to get sick." Hana replied calmly, and slowly the two girls started walking to the hospital again. "I have one spare coat at the hospital, if you want."

"H-hai, arigatou." Hinata thanked, a shy smile gracing her face, and Hana returned the smile moments later. "Anou…are you going to check on Shikamaru-kun?"

"Yep. I heard that Tsunade-sama is going to teach us some new techniques." Hana added before shrugging slightly when Hinata looked confusedly at her. "I'm not sure about it though, because she's busy trying to figure out what happened to Naruto's team."

Naruto… Oh, how Hinata wished to be able to help him…to be able to tell him…

"Hinata, is there something wrong?" Hana questioned suddenly, and Hinata snapped from her thoughts with an 'eh?'. "You were dozing off, and you look rather flushed, are you sure you're alright?"

"H-hai, gomen ne." Hinata said, blushing even harder, but she blinked when Hana raised a hand, and leaned the palm against her forehead. "H-Hana-chan, I-I'm fine, I was just…"

"I'm not doubting you, I just want to make sure you're not coming down with a fever." Hana interrupted the girl's rambling before smiling when she noticed no change on Hinata's body temperature. "You seem fine, so I guess all you have to do is dress some warm clothes, and be careful today."

"H-hai, arigatou Hana-chan." Hinata thanked still looking flushed, but Hana simply smiled at her as the two girls finally continued walking, and moments later they had already arrived at the entrance of the hospital. "I wonder if Tsunade-sama is going to let Naruto-kun and the others leave today. She said she would."

"I wouldn't worry about it, Tsunade-sama knows what she's doing." Hana spoke, but she stopped her tracks when they were about to pass by the reception. "Listen, I have to go check on something, do you mind going ahead?"

"N-no, of course not." Hinata answered, and after a quick goodbye Hana turned on her heels and walked towards another hall, while Hinata watched her. Then, with a small shake of her head, Hinata focused on what she was supposed to do, and hurriedly made her way towards the room where the boys were.

She was not surprised by seeing Sakura already there, sitting next to Sasuke's bed, talking about something. Shikamaru was also lying on his bed, on his back, staring at the ceiling, while Naruto was surprisingly sitting on his bed, his legs crossed in Indian-style.

"Hum, k-konban wa." Hinata greeted shyly as her eyes finally settled on Naruto, but she smiled when Sakura exclaimed an 'hi!' with her usual brightness. Sasuke did nothing in order to show that he had acknowledge her presence, while Shikamaru simply waved a hand in the air in a silent welcome.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto shouted suddenly, and the girl turned to him only to blush slightly when she saw his wide smile. "You came to tell me I'm free to go, ne? Ne? Please, say yes, because I'll die if I have to stay in this room one more night!"

"I err…gomen ne, Naruto-kun, but only Tsunade-sama can give you the permission." Hinata spoke, slowly making her way towards the bed as she twiddled with her thumbs. "I err…I came to c-check your wounds."

"Eh? But I'm fine!" Naruto exclaimed before raising his shirt, revealing his side, and Hinata blushed ten shades of red at his actions. "See? I don't even have a scar! You're an awesome medical-nin, Hinata-chan, but I _really_ I want to get out of here!"

"Naruto, stop it, you know that only Tsunade-sama can give you the permission to leave!" Sakura exclaimed suddenly, turning around on her chair, and Naruto blinked at her. "So stop being such a baka!"

"Sakura-chan…"

When she noticed the cloudy look on Naruto's eyes, Hinata looked down to her knees after sitting down on her own chair. She knew he was hurt. Hinata knew that Naruto would feel bad every time Sakura scolded at him, and she truly could not blame him. Yet, she did blame herself for not trying to cheer him up after each quarrel. Not that it would make him notice her, but Hinata still felt that she should do it.

If only she had the courage to do what her mind told her to…

"Kids, listen up!" a voice spoke suddenly, and everyone looked at the door of the room only to see Tsunade there, her hands on her hips. "You're all free to go. I'll need your help later, so you better not wander off. And make yourselves a favour, and stay away from troubles from now on."

"Huh? What did she mean with that?" Naruto questioned, and Hinata sighed sadly, her eyes still locked with her knees as she felt Naruto jump from the bed moments later. That was it, after that day, Naruto would forget her; he would go away with Jiraiya-sensei, probably to train, and she would only see him…

Well, Hinata did not even know when she would see him, but she knew it would not be soon.

"C'mon people, lets go!" Naruto shouted suddenly with a wide smile on his face as he started stretching himself, and then he winked at his friends. "It's ramen time!"

»«»«»«

When a cold wind blew suddenly from North, Sasuke stuffed his hands on his pockets, his onyx-black eyes locked with the empty path he had yet to tread. He had just left the hospital, and had managed to slide away from the loud group without no one notice. No one without counting with Sakura, who seemed to sense every time he was walking away.

However, it seemed that Sakura had decided to leave him alone, and Sasuke was thankful for it. He had too much in his mind to actually listen to her, and Sasuke knew that it was better for her to stay back in order not to suffer with his bad humour.

After all, he had to follow the blankness of his mind.

No, not blankness. He could remember all the details; he could remember seeing a black coat…he could recall a long chain…he could summon up a pair of teasing eyes staring right at his…

Sasuke could remember the fight…how he had been forced to use more chakra than he wanted to, and how he had lost…of how he had fallen victim of unconsciousness. But what truly annoyed him was the fact he could not remember _how_ he had lost. Sasuke could not recall any pain or suffering…all he could remember was…

A muffled voice…

A taunting laughter…

With a growl, Sasuke turned around on a corner, and continued his way but not before kicking a stone that had appeared in front of him. He absolutely detested to lose, but to be defeated and not remember how nor to whom was just driving him insane.

And then there was that muffled voice again.

The damn haunting voice that seemed to mock him every time his mind tried to recall it.

"Sasuke-kun!" a voice echoed through the empty street, and Sasuke mentally grunted; so much about being alone. "Sasuke-kun! Wait up!"

Despite of everything, Sasuke did slow his pace down; it was not as if she would not quicken hers if he did not wait. There were moments when Sasuke would wonder if Sakura really did not have anything better to do, but he knew better than ask.

"Sasuke-kun, why did you leave so suddenly?" Sakura asked when she appeared next to the boy, her hands clasped behind her back. "I saw you leave, and I got worried. Are your wounds bothering you?"

"Humph, no." Sasuke replied in his usual cold voice, his hands still stuffed in his pockets, and he heard Sakura sigh in relief. "What do you want?"

"Well I err…I wanted to check on you!" Sakura exclaimed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, although she did stutter at the beginning. "I mean, you just left the hospital, and you shouldn't be alone for now. I mean, what if your wounds open again?"

"I'm fine." Sasuke answered quickly, making the reply short yet long enough to give all information at once. It was not as if Sakura was being an annoyance, but she was starting to get to his nerves; couldn't she just notice that he needed to be alone?

Sasuke had only spent three days at the hospital with Naruto and Shikamaru, but he was certain that Naruto's stupidity was starting to affect him. Well, perhaps not his stupidity, but his 'happy-go-lucky' attitude had started to get to Sasuke's nerves. And now, when Sasuke was certain that he was going to be alone, Sakura just had to show up.

"Sakura," Sasuke started without taking his hands from his pockets, and the girl looked at him with a smile on her face, "I left you because I need to be alone for a while."

"Oh." Sakura muttered, her smile fading, but seconds later another was gracing her features again. "Well, don't be alone for long, alright? Because two heads think better than one, ne? I can try to help you with whatever you want to do."

"Hn." was Sasuke's reply, but he still nodded at the girl before continuing to wander through the streets of Konoha. All Sasuke wanted was to figure out what had happened, but it was almost as if there was some sort of wall stopping him from reaching out for the memory. However, it seemed that he was the only one who could not remember what had happened, but Sasuke did not understand why.

A furious growl managed to escape from Sasuke's throat as the boy unconsciously decided to go home. He could remember other little details, almost insignificant ones, but at same time Sasuke knew that he should hold to those pieces. He would needed them to complete the puzzle.

Sasuke gazed up, his eyes finding the dark-blue colour that was painting most of the sky as the sun slowly faded behind the mountains. Perhaps in the shadows he was going to find the answers he was looking for. Perhaps in the darkness he was going to find the key to the mystery that light seemed to be trying so hard to conceal.

While Sasuke continued walking towards his house, Naruto was enjoying his fifth meal. Everybody else was ignoring him, being already used to his manners, and talking about everything except the three days the boys had spent at the hospital. The failed mission was also a forbidden topic since everyone had decided they wanted to chill out instead of getting agitated over something they would not understand any time soon.

So, taking his friends' advice, Naruto quickly ordered another mean, a wide grin on his face. All he wanted was to celebrate the fact he was out of the hospital, free to do whatever he wanted and to eat what he wanted.

"Anou…N-Naruto-kun, a-are you sure you should eat that too?" Hinata asked, glancing at the boy as she blushed, but when Naruto looked confusedly at her, the girl looked down. "I-I mean, y-you just left the hospital, a-and…"

"Aw, don't worry about me, Hinata-chan, you did a great job with my wounds!" Naruto exclaimed, smiling widely, and Hinata blushed even more when she noticed his expression. "Besides, we decided to have some fun tonight, and that's exactly what I'm doing!"

"Hum…h-hai." Hinata stuttered as she started twiddling her thumbs, and slowly she looked at the ramen she had ordered.

"This is such a drag." Shikamaru muttered as he finished his meal, and Naruto turned to him. "I don't know about you, but I'm tired. Are you guys coming?"

"I guess its better if we all go." Naruto answered after finishing his sixth meal, and then pat his full stomach. "I'm full! What about you, Hinata-chan? Want me to walk you home?"

"Eh?" Hinata asked, looking up from her untouched bowl, but she blushed ten shades of red when she noticed that Naruto and Shikamaru were staring at her. "Hum…n-no, t-there's no need for t-that."

"Aw, it's no biggy." Naruto spoke with his usual wide grin that only made Hinata blush even harder. "Right, Shikamaru? Besides, it's too late for a girl to be walking on the streets alone."

"I hum…" Hinata trailed off when someone appeared behind Naruto, and the three friends looked at the newcomer only to notice that it was only Sakura.

She looked sad, Naruto noticed when he gazed at the girl's pale eyes, and he knew why. Naruto had seen Sasuke walking away just like he had seen Sakura going after him. It really did not matter how old they were, Naruto would still feel depressed every time he remembered that Sakura had feelings for Sasuke. It did not matter if Sasuke liked her back though; the simple fact that Sakura _loved_ Sasuke was already heartbreaking.

And yet, despite of his aching heart, Naruto still managed to smile. Slowly, he turned around on his chair so that he was facing Sakura, and then Naruto forced his smile to grow even wider.

"Sakura-chan! You arrived just in time! We were just about to leave!" Naruto exclaimed in his usual bright spirit, and Sakura glanced at him at same time Hinata looked down. "C'mon, I'll walk you home!"

"Oi, Naruto!" Shikamaru shouted, but Naruto ignored him by grabbing Sakura's wrist as he stood up. He did not have the chance to win her heart, but Naruto would do his best to be around Sakura as much as possible.

As he pulled Sakura away, Hinata heard Shikamaru sigh, and she looked up at him. The genius had a bored expression on his face while his eyes were locked with Naruto and Sakura's retreating figures. She did not bear to look that same way.

"That Naruto..." Shikamaru sighed, and Hinata blinked when he turned to her. "C'mon, I'll take you home."

Yes, now Hinata was positive; it was all about invisibility.

**To Be Continued…**

I just want to say that if you guys still want to give me your opinion about the last pairing, I'll receive them gladly. Anyway, I'll try to post the next chapter soon!


	4. Shades of the Present

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and the unknown characters. Nothing else.

»«»«»«

I want to thank **JSai**, **Jojibear** _and _**Hinata13** for your reviews, words and support. They really mean a lot to me, because they help me to understand that there are people out there who actually enjoy this fic. I also want to leave here my gratitude to **Elder Legend**. Thank you all!

»«»«»«

**Chapter 3**

Shades of the Present

"Ihihihihi, this is _soooo_ good!" someone laughed from behind some bushes from where a black eye emerged. "Oh oh, they look so cute like that. Yep, yep, _very_ cute indeed."

"Jiraiya."

_"Ahhh!"_ a man with long and spiky white hair jumped ten feet in the air before turning around, a hand resting on his chest. "What the heck were you thinking? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"You really shouldn't do that." Kakashi commented, his hands stuffed in his pockets, and Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Spying on women when their having fun is not an appropriated thing to do."

"Oh? You really shouldn't tell me that since you're my number one fan." Jiraiya commented as he stood up from his hiding place. "After all, you do like to read what I write."

"Even so, watching women having fun in a stream is not something a man should do." Kakashi said, and Jiraiya waved a hand in dismiss. "Besides, what brought me here is something serious that cannot be delayed."

"Hm? Does it involve the reason why Naruto didn't come to see me for the past three days?" Jiraiya questioned, but Kakashi just continued to stare at him. "You know that rumours spread rather quickly nowadays, and I do have my sources."

""Right, so I take it you already know what brings me here?" Kakashi asked though it sounded more like a statement, and Jiraiya sighed before crossing his arms against his chest.

"Iie, I may be aware of some details, but I don't know what happened." Jiraiya answered, his eyes locked with Kakashi's. "Is someone after Naruto again?"

"Didn't your source tell you that Sasuke and Shikamaru were attacked as well?" Kakashi asked, his right hand now resting on his hip. "I'm not sure if they are only going after the Nine Tails this time."

"Sasuke and Shikamaru as well?" Jiraiya repeated. "Hum…after so many years, I cannot think of a reason for someone to attack three of the best Jounin of Konoha. The three of them were sent to the hospital?"

"Hai, but Shikamaru told me something I'm sure you'll find interesting." Kakashi paused, and Jiraiya waited. "They were attacked by panthers."

"Panthers?" Jiraiya repeated, and Kakashi nodded. "Oh? _Black_ panthers?" Kakashi nodded again. "Hum, I say don't worry about it; it must be a coincidence."

"Never took you as someone who believes in such thing." Kakashi commented, looking strangely at the older man, who said nothing in return. "Do you really believe it's something insignificant?"

"Insignificant, no. Coincidence, yes." Jiraiya retorted. "Tsunade is aware of the risks, and I'm sure she thinks the same as me even if she doesn't say it."

"You're taking all this lightly." Kakashi pointed out, and Jiraiya sighed. "Are you trying to get rid of me so that you can spy on the girls again?"

"Well, without me _studying_ them, there's no book which means you won't know what happens in the next edition." Jiraiya retorted with a wide grin, and Kakashi sweatdropped.

"Fine, I'll leave." Kakashi said after a few seconds, "But you better write something good next time. It seems to me that your muses are not working very well lately."

"What? How dare you?" Jiraiya asked angrily, but Kakashi vanished in thin air, and then the man sighed. "My books are not becoming boring…"

Still muttering things under his breath, Jiraiya turned around, and then a pervert grin appeared on his face. Snickering, Jiraiya pulled the bushes aside, still laughing wickedly to himself, but he gasped when his eyes fell over the stream.

The girls were gone.

"Damn you, Kakashi!!!"

»«»«»«

With a bored sigh, Shikamaru kicked a small stone that was in front of his right foot, his hands stuffed in his pockets. Chouji was late…again. Sure they had nothing important to do, but it was amazing how Chouji always managed to get late.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered before gazing at the sky, and a small smile appeared on his face when he noticed the clouds. "The clouds look so beautiful today…"

"Shikamaru!" a voice shouted from afar, and the boy looked to his side only to see Chouji walking towards him, at same time he waved a hand in the air. There was someone else with him, Shikamaru noticed when his eyes slipped to the other person.

Rich brown locks were falling curly yet wildly down the girl's shoulders. A pair of lips were curled into a small smile, which happiness appeared to reach a pair of eyes which dark brown colour resembled to hazel-nuts. The girl had a sturdy figure, that was rather hidden by a long sleeved blue jacket and a white t-shirt. She was also a bit chubby, but the girl's black pants seemed to reveal her curves, making her seem a bit thinner than she really was.

She truly looked familiar, but Shikamaru could not say where he had seen her.

"Oi Chouji, you're late." Shikamaru commented when his friend stopped in front of him. "Don't tell me you started eating on the way, and forgot about our meeting."

"Hum…hehe…actually Hana-chan invited me to go to the restaurant, and I just couldn't say no." Chouji answered, looking slightly embarrassed while the girl next to him bowed in respect.

"Konnichi wa, Shikamaru-san." the girl greeted as she straightened up, but Shikamaru just stared at her. "I hope your feeling better."

"Oh, you're that girl." Shikamaru said after a few moments, and Hana blinked at his words. "Hai, my back doesn't bother me anymore. I guess I should thank you."

"Iie, I was just doing my job." Hana retorted before turning to Chouji, who had taken a bag of potato chips from out-of-nowhere, as usual. "I'll see you later, Chouji-kun, and be careful with what you eat."

Then, Hana bowed at Shikamaru before whispering a goodbye, and then she took off towards Konoha. Both Shikamaru and Chouji watched Hana walking away until she was out of sight. Then, Shikamaru turned to Chouji.

"Does Ino know about her?"

"Hana? Oh yes, I introduced them when I was showing Hana around." Chouji answered before grabbing a bunch of chips. "I think they'll become friends soon. I mean, Ino did look happy when she understood she was not the only girl anymore."

"Troublesome.." Shikamaru muttered, and Chouji sent him a confused look as he swallowed the chips. "I hope that girl doesn't get influenced by Ino; Sakura is already more than enough."

"If you're talking about Sasuke, I think it's going to be alright." Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at this, but Chouji just smiled before handing the chips to his friend. "Nothing better than staring at the clouds while having a snack, ne?"

"Hai." Shikamaru sighed before smiling when he noticed Chouji's grin, and moments later the two of them were lying on the grass, watching the clouds. "Ne Chouji, I heard that Neji, Kiba and Lee were sent to a new mission."

"Hmm, oh yeah, they were asked by Tsunade-sama to go see if the feudal family you escorted days ago was alright." Chouji explained, and Shikamaru glanced at him by the corner of his eyes before sighing. "Say, speaking about that mission, aren't you guys going to try to find out what happened?"

"The Fifth Hokage is already taking care of that." Shikamaru answered, his hands resting behind his neck as he continued to stare at the clouds. "There's nothing we can do, although I'm sure Naruto is going to get all hasty, and do something stupid. I think Sasuke is at the edge of doing something stupid too."

"What makes you say that?" Chouji asked with his mouth full, and Shikamaru sighed before focusing his attention on the clouds. "I mean, you said that Sasuke can't remember anything, and Naruto…I don't think Hokage-sama will let him do something stupid."

"Hai, hai, but we all know how Naruto is." Shikamaru replied, with a bored tone before sighing as he continued to watch the clouds. He knew that Naruto and Sasuke would try to do something foolish sooner or later; he had not believed it when Sasuke had said he remembered nothing from the encounter.

In fact, Shikamaru was certain that Sasuke had only said that because he did not want to share what he knew with everybody else. All Shikamaru hoped was that no matter what happened, he was not pulled into some other confusion again. Unfortunately, until that day, every time something bad happened, he was always dragged into the confusion in a way or another.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered under his breath before focusing his thoughts on the white clouds above, and then he took a deep breath. And for some unknown reason, Shikamaru could swear that the fragrance of lilies was surrounding him.

»«»«»«

"Here, you can go now." Sakura said as she raised from the floor, and the little boy stared down at his bandaged knee with a curious expression. "Next time try not to crash against your friends, alright?"

"Arigatou, Sakura-san!" the boy exclaimed excitedly as he jumped from the bed, and after a quick wave, he run out of the room in a blink of an eye.

As she smiled, Sakura started putting what she had used over a tray, but before she could pick it up, footsteps made the girl look over her shoulder. Her hair brushed against her shoulder-blades as she moved, but Sakura's smile grew a bit when she noticed who it was.

"Tsunade-sama, can I help you with anything?" Sakura asked brightly as she watched the Fifth Hokage walking inside, her right hand resting on her hip. "Did something happen?"

"Iie, but I have to ask you something." Tsunade started, and Sakura turned to the older woman, expecting to hear more. "You're a close friend of Naruto and Sasuke, of that everyone is aware of, but I need you to do something for me. Do you think you can convince Naruto and Sasuke not do anything hastily without my consent?"

"I don't understand."

"Sakura, I know you believe in Sasuke, but as the Hokage I must think about everybody's safety." Tsunade started, and Sakura nodded. "I want you to keep an eye on those two; you're the only one who has the capability of making them stay here even if in the past you failed to do so."

"But…Tsunade-sama, do…do you think they would be foolish enough to go against your orders?" Sakura questioned, a mask of worry over her pale features. "I mean, I know Naruto could do it, but Sasuke-kun?"

"I already asked Kakashi to keep an eye on the three of you, although Naruto is supposed to be Jiraiya's subordinate." Tsunade continued, ignoring the girl's comment, but then she turned to her side. "Just keep an eye on those two for me, Sakura, I know you can do it."

"Tsunade-sama!" Sakura called-out when the woman turned to the door, her hand raised slightly in the air. "Do you think….do you really think Naruto and Sasuke-kun can try to do something? Is this about the mission they failed?"

"Just do what I asked you to, Sakura, and believe in me when I say that's more than enough." Tsunade replied, not looking at the girl, and then she walked out of the room, leaving a troubled Sakura behind.

"No, they would never do that." Sakura whispered, looking down, an image of Sasuke and Naruto flashing in her mind. "No, I'm sure they would never…" Sakura trailed off when the image of Sasuke alone flashed in her mind, and her eyes widened. "Sasuke-kun!"

Without being able to control herself, Sakura dashed out of the room, and started running down the hall only to turn on a corner and find herself on the floor moments later. Rubbing her lower back, Sakura looked up only to see Naruto and Hinata looking back at her.

"Oh, Sakura-chan, gomen ne!" Naruto said suddenly, and with a blink Sakura found herself back on her feet, Naruto holding her by the arm. "I was looking for you, but then I found Hinata-chan, and she told me she would take to you."

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered before shaking her head, her right hand clenched in front of her chest. "Sasuke-kun! Do you know where Sasuke-kun is?"

"Hum…last time I saw him, he was going home." Naruto answered, after thinking a bit. "I think he wanted to spend some time alone, but you know how Sasuke can be, ne? But why? Did something happen?"

"I need to talk to him!" Sakura exclaimed before running past Naruto, her feet leading her towards the main doors of the hospital. She just needed to make sure he was there; she just needed to make sure he was in Konoha, safe!

Knowing that it was better to take a shortcut, Sakura jumped to a wall before hopping to the roof of a cottage and from then on she just leaped from roof to roof until she reached door that lead to Sasuke's house. For a moment Sakura just wiped the bullets of sweat that were rolling down her forehead before taking a deep breath, and then, with a trembling arm, she knocked on the door.

Seconds resembled to a painful eternity, and Sakura could swear that if someone passed close to her, that person would hear her heart beating painfully against her rib cage. After swallowing hard, Sakura knocked on the door again, fear and anxiety slowly taking over her limbs. What if Sasuke _had_ done something foolish?

Last time she had seen him, Sasuke had appeared to be fine. Sure he still behaved like the loner he was, but he had been fine! Sakura knew it! But Sasuke was also known for doing irrational things when people least expected him to, and that was why she was feeling so nervous. She would not bear if he had done something that would endanger his life.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called-out as she knocked on the door again, her heartbeat increasing by the second as the door continued closed. "Please, open up! I need to talk to you! Sasuke-kun!"

"Sakura." a deep and familiar voice spoke suddenly, and Sakura spun around, her hands clasped in front of her chest as her eyes started to sparkle with unshed tears. "What are you doing here?"

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura breathed in relief before noticing the bag with groceries he was holding. "I-I thought you had…I…" Sakura trailed off, and looked down. Once again she had thought he had done something stupid…once again she had thought he had left and not taken her with him…once again she had believed she had been left behind and alone…

"Did something happen?" Sasuke asked in his usual emotionless tone, and Sakura snapped from her thoughts only to see that the boy had walked past her, and was now opening the door of his house.

"Err…Iie, I was just…worried about your wounds. Y-you didn't come to the hospital to let me check on them, so I thought I should come see if something had happened." Sakura heard herself say, not really believing she was lying to Sasuke like that. "I err…do you think you can go to the hospital later? I would feel better knowing that your wounds didn't get worse."

"Humph, fine." Sasuke replied, now standing by the door, and Sakura smiled weakly at him. "Do you need anything else? I have to go train."

"Oh, sorry, I just…" Sakura glanced down to the ground before forcing herself to smile when she looked at Sasuke again. "Just be careful during your training, alright? I don't want to see you at the hospital with more wounds any time soon."

After a few seconds, Sasuke nodded before closing the door in front of him. When she was alone, Sakura rested a hand against her chest, new tears blurring her vision as she continued to stare at the closed door.

Sasuke had not left. Sasuke was still there in Konoha! He was still close to her!

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura whispered before turning around, but she glanced at the door again. He was still there… A small smile graced Sakura's face as the girl started making her way towards the stairs, knowing that it was time for her to do what Tsunade had asked her too; she was going to watch over Sasuke and Naruto.

When the sound of Sakura's footsteps faded away, Sasuke narrowed his eyes. It seemed that someone was hiding something, and he was going to find out what was going on.

**To Be Continued…**


	5. Whispered Fears

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and the unknown characters. Nothing else.

»«»«»«

I want to thank **Jojibear**, **Brazilian Phoenix** _and _**SGCred** for your reviews and support. However, I am forced, on again, to inquire you about the pairings. I'm reaching a point in this fic where it will be useful to know which character you would like to see paired with my OC. I'm aware there is still no information about her, and I know that some of you told me to do what I thought it would be for the best, but I would still like to have some opinions.

I'm aware that I am here to write something I like (and I really like to write this fic), but I'm also here to offer something to my readers that I hope they'll enjoy. All those who lost some time to answer, have something in common; for them, _Neji_ is out of the question. Therefore, I still have Sasuke, Kiba and even Gaara. So, I beg you once more, if you don't mind losing some time, please help me to write something that you'll like (or so I hope).

I'm terribly sorry for bothering you all with this. Thanks for your attention!

»«»«»«

**Chapter 4**

Whispered Fears

With a bored sigh, Tsunade put a book aside before grabbing another one that made her sigh again. That one was huge! Oh, working was so boring! Not to mention it seemed to drag forever.

"Tsunade."

"You still have the bad habit of using windows instead of doors." the woman commented without looking up from the book she was reading. "I take it that Kakashi talked with you."

"Well, I do have the right to know what happens to my subordinates." Jiraiya stated, appearing by the window, and Tsunade rested her chin on the back of her hand as she turned the page. "Aren't you going to do something about it?"

"And what would you have me do?" the woman asked before looking over her shoulder. "You should know I cannot send ANBU members when there was only one incident."

"Yes, but it was an incident that threw three of the best Jounin of Konoha to the hospital." Jiraiya retorted, "What's wrong? Worried about sending your finest Jounin after a ghost?"

"You know better than mocking me." Tsunade commented, looking serious as she continued to stare at the man, and then she narrowed her eyes. "I sent Kiba, Neji and Lee to check on the family. If something happens to them, then I'll send ANBU teams after your ghost."

"Now you're being prudent." Jiraiya pointed out with a smirk, and Tsunade rolled her eyes. "But fine, I guess that waiting is the best thing to do. On the meantime, I'm going to check on Naruto, and see what he has been doing."

"Jiraiya." Tsunade called-out right when the man was about to jump through the window. "Ghost or not, if something happens, I want to be have a team ready to catch it. I want you to keep both your eyes open."

"Of course, and don't worry, I'm going to start training Naruto immediately." Jiraiya said only to raise an eyebrow when Tsunade called his name again. "Did you forget to tell me something?"

"Yes, behave like normal people and use the door." Tsunade replied, and Jiraiya sweatdropped and then he sighed. "And stay close to Konoha; I don't want to waste my time trying to find you."

"Hai, hai." Jiraiya muttered, waving a hand in dismiss, but then he smirked. "I'll see you later then."

Leaving no time for Tsunade to speak, Jiraiya rested a hand on the window-frame before jumping out of the window. Tsunade, when she was finally alone, just shook her head before glancing down at what she had been reading before she was interrupted.

»«»«»«

With a bored sigh, Naruto kicked a small stone that had appeared on his way. Ever since he had left the hospital that they had not been sent to any mission, and that was simply annoying. After all, everyone was doing something…everyone except the three Jounin that had been attacked.

"Naruto!" a voice shouted suddenly, and in confusion Naruto turned around, not really expecting to meet someone on his way home.

"Eh? Konohamaru?" Naruto asked, surprised when a short boy with brown hair and goggles appeared in front of him. Konohamaru had indeed grown up a little, but he still wore the same blue scarf around his neck.

"Ohayou, Naruto-kun!" two other voices greeted, and Naruto saw a girl whose orange hair was pulled into two ponytails and a boy with round spectacles appearing from behind Konohamaru.

"Naruto, we heard that you were at the hospital." Konohamaru started, and Naruto blinked. "We would have visited you, but our sensei sent us to a mission, so we weren't able to visit you."

"But we went to the hospital today, and they told us you had left two days ago." Moegi concluded, and Naruto smiled at them; all of them had matured. In fact, Naruto had to admit that they were more mature than him when he was their age.

"Oh, I'm feeling great!" Naruto exclaimed with a wide grin, and the three youngsters smiled at his behaviour. "I'm a bit annoyed because I have nothing to do, but I'm happy for being out of the hospital."

"Anou, if you don't have anything to do, do you think you could…I don't know…come with us?" Udon questioned, looking slightly embarrassed, and Naruto blinked at the words. "You know…to supervise our training, and help us?"

"Sure!" Naruto exclaimed after a few moments in silence, and the three youngsters cheered. "But I need to eat some ramen first because I'm starving!"

At that, the three Chunnin sweatdropped, but Naruto continued to grin, a hand resting on the back of his neck. Then, he turned around, but before Naruto could step forward, someone grabbed him by the back of his collar.

"Hold it, Naruto!"

"Ah!" the boy shouted in surprise before looking over his shoulder, and then he screamed again. "_Ah!_ Ero-Sennin! What are you doing here?"

"Naruto, I was just informed about your failed mission." Jiraiya started still holding the boy, who was struggling to get free. "You should be ashamed; losing to a panther. I always said you have no talent at all."

"Ah! If I didn't have any talent, I wouldn't be a Jounin now!" Naruto exclaimed, finally getting free of the man's grasp, and point at him. "You have no right to say I don't have talent!"

"Bah, being a Jounin without talent isn't something you should be proud of." Jiraiya stated, crossing his arms against his chest, and Naruto dropped his head in shame. Then, Jiraiya turned to the youngsters. "Don't ask for Naruto's help unless you want to lose."

"Hey!" Naruto shouted, looking mad, and Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon blinked at the scene. "Don't tell them that! Besides, Konohamaru will never believe in your words, Ero-Sennin!"

"Actually, I think he's right." Konohamaru commented suddenly, and Naruto turned to him only to see the boy laughing nervously. "We'll just train alone. It's good to know you're better, Naruto!"

"Bye!" Moegi shouted while Udon waved, and moments later Naruto and Jiraiya were alone.

"Ero-Sennin!" Naruto cried-out, but he shut up when he noticed the strange way Jiraiya was looking at him. "Hum, did something happen?"

"Naruto, it doesn't matter if you're a Jounin or not; if you can't face the fact your life along with the lives of your comrades must be protected, then I must admit that I failed." Jiraiya started. "I failed as a teacher, and as the person that was supposed to teach you the true meaning of being a ninja."

"Hum, yeah, whatever you say." Naruto spoke, his hands stuffed in his pockets, and then his stomached growled. "Mind continuing with the lecture after lunch? Because I'm really, really hungry."

"Ah fine, thanks for ruining my moment of sincerity." Jiraiya said with a sigh, and Naruto laughed nervously. "But let me tell you this; you are going to train harder than before, and we shall study a lot in order to put your brain functioning."

"Hai!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically before blinking in confusion. "Ah! Did you just call me stupid?"

At that Jiraiya sweatdropped.

»«»«»«

With a small cry, Hinata continued to dodge all attacks coming from Shino's bugs. Bullets of sweat were already rolling down her flushed cheeks while the girl continued to try to stay focused on the battle. Shino, on the contrary, looked as calm as ever as he continued to observe the girl's movements.

"Ah!" Hinata cried-out suddenly, failing to keep her balance and she immediately tripped, and fell on the ground. Pain shot from her lower back and from the palms of her hands as she struggled to get up.

"Again." Hinata said in fighting stance, but her determined look was replaced by one of confusion when she saw the bugs returning to Shino. "Shino-kun, why…?"

"This is training, Hinata, I don't want you to get severely hurt." Shino replied calmly, his hands on his pockets, and Hinata blinked. "I'm sure Hana won't mind taking a look at your wounds."

"H-Hana-chan?" Hinata repeated before noticing that Shino was staring at some point on his left, and she followed his gaze. When a form emerged from behind an old oak, Hinata blinked again. "H-Hana-chan, I-I didn't know you were there."

"Hello Hinata-chan, Shino-san." Hana greeted as she approached the two friends, holding a book against her chest. "I heard you training, but I didn't want to intrude."

"I noticed you were there when we arrived." Shino commented calmly, and Hana smiled slightly at him. "Do you mind taking a look at Hinata's wounds?"

"Of course not." Hana replied almost instantly, but before she could move, someone shouted Hinata and Shino's names. The three young adults looked to their sides in confusion, only to see Kiba running towards them, Akamaru by his side.

"Hey guys!" Kiba greeted with a wide smirk on his face when he finally reached his friends. "What's this? I leave for a mission, and you train on my back?"

"Kiba-kun, h-how was the mission?" Hinata questioned, feeling Hana hold her hand in order to cure the scratches before doing the same thing with her other hand. "H-How's the family?"

"Oh, they're fine, I truly don't know why everyone was so worried." Kiba said with a small shrug, and Akamaru barked. "This mission was really a pain; Neji and Lee were always fighting. It's amazing how they didn't chop each other's head off when I wasn't looking."

"Do you feel any pain, Hinata-chan?" Hana questioned suddenly, and Hinata turned to her only to shake her head. "Well, if you're sure, I'm going to continue with my reading. If you need anything just call me, alright?"

"H-Hai. Arigatou, Hana-chan." Hinata thanked with a small bow, but the other girl simply smiled before bowing too. Then, after one last smile, Hana started walking towards the old oak again before disappearing behind the tree's trunk.

"But I noticed that something weird was going on." Kiba spoke suddenly, and Hinata looked at him again. "There were a bunch of rumours, and one was always weirder than the other."

"What do you mean?" Shino inquired, and Kiba sighed while Akamaru barked again. "What kind of rumours?"

"Strangely, all of them had to do with the mission Naruto and the others failed to conclude." Kiba started, and Hinata rested a hand against her chest; rumours about Naruto and the others? "Most of the rumours talked about a ghost coming for revenge, and that that same ghost had animals protecting it."

"A ghost?" Shino repeated, and Kiba nodded at same time Hinata allowed worry to consume her body. Could someone be after Naruto again? Hinata doubted she would have the strength to see Naruto at the hospital again, looking as lifeless a she had after the failed mission.

"Hinata, are you alright?" Kiba asked suddenly, and the girl snapped from her thoughts when she head her name."

"H-hai, but d-did you figure out about whom everyone was talking about?" Hinata questioned, looking down embarrassed for having dozed off, and Kiba shook his head.

"No, but one thing I'm sure of." Kiba started, a dark look on his face, and both Shino and Hinata waited for him to continue. "All those rumours were whispered, almost as if people were afraid of mentioning them."

As Kiba continued to talk to his friends, Tsunade looked up from the book she had been analyzing. Her eyes immediately found one single black eye, but for a long period nothing was said although everything was being explained through mute words.

"Are you conscious of what you're asking me?" Tsunade questioned, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. "I have no reason to stop you from going, but it seems to me that you have forgotten how seriously this kind of request should be studied."

"You know this is the last thing I would ask you, but you also know this subject shouldn't be taken carelessly." Kakashi started seriously, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "And you know I wouldn't ask you this if there was another option."

"Very well, you may go, but you'll have to deal with the consequences." Tsunade retorted, and Kakashi nodded slightly. "Who are you going to take with you?"

"Actually, I would like to go alone." Kakashi responded, and Tsunade gazed at him with a blank expression on her face. "I want to do this alone."

"Very well." Tsunade started, now holding a pen, but before she started writing, the woman gazed at the Jounin again. "I'm counting on you, Kakashi, but I must ask you to be careful. You're a very important person in Konoha."

"Hai, don't worry, I'll be back in less than a week." Kakashi answered, smiling slightly. "But I need to ask you something before I go."

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them for you." Tsunade said before Kakashi had the time to express his wish, and her lips curled into a small smile. "They're also very important to this village."

"Very well, I'll see you in a week then." Kakashi said, nodding again, "And hopefully, I won't return alone."

After those words, Tsunade found herself alone in the office, and after a deep breath she stood up from the chair. Crossing her arms against her chest, Tsunade turned to the windows behind her, and stared at the sky. Sometimes she just could not help but question Kakashi's sanity.

"Out of all people, Kakashi," Tsunade whispered, her amber eyes still locked with the clear sky, "you had to chose a wanderer. Out of all people in the world, you had to chose the unpredictable and untamed tsunami."

**To Be Continued…**


	6. Games of Shadows

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and some OCs; nothing else.

»«»«»«

I want to thank **Jojibear**, **Brazilian Phoenix** _and _**city with no people** for letting me know your opinion about this fic and about the pairing. I think I already know who is going to be the chosen one. Oh, I also leave here my gratitude to **alexdanarutowriter** _and _**jimmyrun**.

I decided to post this now, because I'm really pissed off because of school (makes me stay up all night…). The next chapter will come out by the end of the week!

»«»«»«

**Chapter 5**

Games of Shadows

A mocking laughter…

The sound of chains…

Penetrating eyes…

Pain…

Suddenly a pair of eyelids fluttered open, and onyx-black eyes meet the fading darkness as the timid sun started to peak through the window. For a moment Sasuke just continued to stare at the wall, sweat rolling down his face. His heartbeat was strangely accelerated, his chest moving up and down as if he had just returned from a long mission.

That dream again, but what did it mean? Why could he remember nothing about what had happened? What was wrong with him?

With a tired sigh, Sasuke sat down on the mattress, his head down as he tried to recall the dream. The only thing that echoed in his mind, though, was the taunting laughter. Clenching his hands into strong fists, Sasuke took a deep breath, and tried to calm down. Apparently he was not going to find answers in his dreams either.

And that was simply frustrating and infuriating.

Slowly Sasuke opened his eyes again, and this time he stared at the window. Another thing that was bothering him was the fact that he seemed to be the only one who still thought about what had happened. Both Shikamaru and Naruto just did not seem to care anymore.

So, if they had gotten over it, why couldn't he do the same?

After a deep breath, Sasuke stood up from the bed, and got dressed. He knew why he could not forget the mission; it was all because his mind had not allowed him to have one single peaceful night after that failure.

And for some reason, Sasuke knew that he was not going to have an undisturbed night until he completed the puzzle.

After closing the front door behind him, Sasuke stuffed his hands in his pockets before starting his morning walk. He knew that Sakura was at the hospital, so he had more than enough time to think about what he was going to do next. And if he was lucky, Naruto would not show up any time soon either.

A smirk appeared in Sasuke's face as he continued walking through a crowded street of Konoha. Being alone was what he truly wanted, because if offered more than enough peace for him to think and meditate. Yes, because with Naruto and Sakura around that was just impossible.

"Sasuke…"

The boy stopped his tracks when the wind whispered his name. Without taking his hands off the pockets, Sasuke started glancing around only to notice that everyone on the street was ignoring him. When he understood that nothing was going to happen, Sasuke started walking again.

"Sasuke…"

Snapping his head to the side, Sasuke found himself staring at an empty alley. Now that was too much of a cliché, but according to the events of all those horror films (more like pointless films, for Sasuke) now it was the time when Sasuke would check if something was in the shadows of the alley.

With a small smirk on his face, Sasuke decided to play along, and started walking towards the alley. Apparently someone was trying to pull a prank on him, but Sasuke was determined to show to whoever that person was that he was not an avenger for nothing.

"Sasuke."

Without blinking Sasuke turned around, fist closed, but when his knuckles were about to contact with the person's cheek, he stopped. He stopped not because he wanted to, but because of the strong hand that had grabbed his on the last second, and Sasuke found himself staring into a pair of black eyes.

"Sasuke-kun, what are you doing?" Sakura asked in shock, but Sasuke did not look away from Lee, who stared back at him, still holding his fist. "Why did you attack Lee-san?"

"It's fine, Sakura-san, he didn't even hit me." Lee said, finally dropping his hand, but Sasuke said nothing as he stuffed his hands back into his pockets. "Sasuke, I don't know what happened for you to attack me, so I won't hold anything against you, but next time you try to do that again, I won't answer for my actions."

"Humph."

"Sasuke-kun, I was worried! You promised you would go to the hospital so I could check on your wounds." Sakura started, looking slightly worried and angry. "When you didn't, I decided to come look after you, but then Lee-san appeared, and I asked him to help me."

"I told you, I'm fine." Sasuke grunted, a blank expression on his face, and Sakura looked down. "Leave me alone."

"Hey, don't talk to her that way! Sakura-san is really worried about you!" Lee exclaimed, but Sasuke simply ignored him as turned his back to the other boy. "And I'm talking to you not to your back! Don't ignore me, and don't ignore Sakura-san either when all she's trying to do is to help you."

"I don't need help." Sasuke grunted in reply, without looking at his friends. "Stop trying to help me, because next time I won't miss."

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura whispered as the boy started walking away, and Lee took a deep breath as he gazed away from Sasuke to look at the girl standing next to him, now with a gloomy expression on her face.

"C'mon, Sakura-san, you know how Sasuke is; when he feels like talking, I'm sure he'll remember that you're here." Lee said, now resting a hand on the girl's shoulder, and he smiled at her when Sakura turned to him. "You know how Sasuke is, so let him be for now."

"Hum…I guess I can try." Sakura said with a short nod, and Lee winked at her as he rose his thumb up in his famous 'nice guy' pose.

"Trust me when I say that's more than enough." Lee said, and Sakura smiled slightly at his behaviour before nodding again. "C'mon, I'll take you to the hospital before going to train; Tenten and Neji are already waiting for me."

»«»«»«

As he whistled, Shikamaru made his way through one of the many crowded streets of Konoha, his attention focused on the sky although he was doing an amazing job avoiding everyone that appeared in front of him. He simply could not look away from the clouds… Shikamaru knew people thought he was simply a nobody who loved to stare at the clouds, but there was something about them…about the clouds that offered him a peace that Shikamaru could not find in any another place.

"Shika!!!" a voice shouted suddenly, and Shikamaru looked over his shoulder in confusion only to see a blonde girl running towards him, waving a hand in the air, a wide smile on her face. "Shika! I'm so glad I found you!"

"Eh? Ino?" Shikamaru said as the girl stopped in front of him, panting slightly, but the happiness never fading from her wide smile. "Can I help you in anything?"

"Yes! Chouji said you were at the hospital." Ino started, straightening up, and Shikamaru looked at her as he rested his hands on his hips. "I know I should have visited you, but having a shop doesn't always allow us to have some free time, but anyway, are you alright?"

"Ino, Sasuke is fine." Shikamaru said after sighing, a bored expression on his face, and the girl blinked. "He left on the same day I did, and he's probably already training in some secluded area around Konoha. If you want to know where he is, you should ask one of his team mates."

"Wow, I never heard you say so much in such a short period of time." Ino commented, looking flabbergasted, and Shikamaru sighed again. "But well, thanks for saving me some time, I guess I'll have to go ask Sakura about him. I'll see you around!"

With a quick wave, Ino turned on her heels, and started running towards the same direction from where she had appeared. Still with a bored expression on his face, Shikamaru stuffed in hands into his pockets, and continued his walk, his eyes locked with the sky again. His mind, however, was drifting away with the clouds.

Of course he had known that Ino was only trying to get close to him in order to find how Sasuke was. It was so obvious that Ino had tried to go around the bush because she had been trying to find a way to ask about the member of the Uchiha clan…it was so obvious that it was too troublesome to be thinking about it.

Besides, it was not as if Shikamaru was not used to it. Yes, it was true, Ino was a sweet girl…when she wanted to, but most of the time she just behaved like a little girl, who wanted to know where Sasuke was all time. And that was mostly a drag. Especially because Shikamaru knew there was nothing he could do to change it. After all, Nara Shikamaru was just a nobody who had had the pleasure (or displeasure) of being Sasuke's partner during a mission.

But who cared about a nobody when Uchiha Sasuke was injured?

"Shikamaru-san?" a voice called-out, and the boy blinked in confusion before looking down from the sky to his side. His eyes found a pair of brown ones almost instantly. "Chouji is looking for you, Shikamaru-san, he said something about you having lunch together?"

"Hum…hai, I was just on my way to meet him." Shikamaru said, and Hana smiled slightly at him. "Say, don't you want to join us? Every time we're together, Chouji talks about you. It's really troublesome, you know?"

"Oh, gomen, I'll tell him not to do that." Hana said, and Shikamaru shook his head as he sighed. "I hum…I guess the fact we hadn't seen each other for a long time kind of makes him ramble about silly things."

"Eh? For how long have you known Chouji?" Shikamaru questioned, raising an eyebrow slightly, but he blinked when he noticed Hana's smile getting wider as she chuckled.

"I've known Chouji ever since I was born." the girl started, and Shikamaru blinked again. "But when I was seven my parents took me to Takigakure, and I was only able to contact Chouji once-in-a-while. I guess that my return kind of affected him somehow… I don't know, I guess I'm just rambling."

"Hum…but Chouji never mentioned you." Shikamaru commented, narrowing his eyes slightly, and this time Hana shrugged. "Don't you think he would have, at least once?"

"No, actually I don't." Hana started, and for the third time, Shikamaru blinked at her words. "Chouji and I have always been like this; always hoping for the day when we'd meet again. That's why we never mentioned each other before; I never mentioned Chouji during the time in Takigakure, at least not to my friends because…because mentioning him would be painful."

"Hum…so, do you want to come or not?" Shikamaru asked suddenly, and this time it was Hana who blinked. "You know what?? This is too troublesome. You're coming."

"But I…."

"C'mon, lets not make Chouji wait." Shikamaru continued, silencing Hana by grabbing her upper arm, and gently he pulled her with him. "I'm certain you know how he is when we make him wait?"

"Oh yes, absolutely." Hana said with a giggle, and Shikamaru smirked slightly. It seemed that Chouji had finally found someone who acknowledge him for who he was; now Shikamaru was the one who needed to find the person who would recognize him for whom he was.

If such person existed of course, but then again, Shikamaru was not entirely sure if he wanted someone to acknowledge him. First of all, he was not good with women. Aside from the fact women were outspoken, and talk a lot, he was terrible when it came to understand if two women got along or not. Besides, Shikamaru knew that women were always expecting for men to behave the way they wanted them to. (1)

And that was simply too troublesome…

"Ne, Shikamaru-san…" Hana called-out, and Shikamaru looked at her, realising that he was still holding her arm, and then he dropped his hand. "You know, in all the letters Chouji sent me, he did mention you a lot. And hum…I know this is silly, but even through those letters it was easy to see that Chouji was happy for having a friend like you."

"Yes, Chouji is a great person." Shikamaru answered, the corner of his lips curling into a small smile. "He just needs to see that."

"Oh, but I'm sure he will, with you as his friend." Hana said, a smile also gracing her pale features, and Shikamaru raised an eyebrow when she rested a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks for looking after him, Shikamaru-san, I'm sure you know how important that was."

"Eh, it was nothing." Shikamaru said as Hana lowered her hand, and then the girl shook her head.

"No, Shikamaru-san, it was everything."

»«»«»«

"Hum…I still don't get it." Naruto said as he scratched the back of his head, a look of confusion on his face, and Tsunade sighed while Jiraiya shook his head. "Why do I have to train with Ero-Sennin? I thought I didn't need to train with him anymore."

"I need you to train because I cannot allow anything to happen to you like it did last time." Tsunade started, raising both her hands so she could rest her chin on her entwined fingers. "I want you and Sasuke to train, but obviously, Sasuke is going to train with someone else."

"Ah, why do I have to train with him," Naruto pointed at Jiraiya, who blinked as he stared down at the boy's finger, "while Sasuke trains with Kakashi-sensei? I want to train with Kakashi-sensei! It's my turn now!"

"Naruto, you know why you're the one who trains with Jiraiya." Tsunade started in her strong voice, and Naruto dropped his head at same time he lowered his hand. "This training is only for precaution, nothing else. You're not going to leave Konoha either."

"Ah, but why Ero-Sennin?" Naruto whined before blinking when a strong hand rested on top of his head, and slowly he glanced at the man beside him. "What?"

"Naruto, you should thank Tsunade for asking me to train you." Jiraiya started, his other hand resting on his hip, and Naruto raised an eyebrow when he saw the man's smirk. "After all, I could be busy doing other things, but I accepted to help you instead."

"Ah, don't you even start with that! I know why you want to train me!" Naruto exclaimed, moving to his side so that Jiraiya was forced to drop the hand that had been resting on top of the boy's head. "You want to train me because of my Sexy no Jutsu, and don't you dare to say that's not true!"

"Hum?" Jiraiya said, looking down at Naruto with a strange look on his face. "That jutsu has nothing to do this. I'm here to train you!"

"I don't believe in you!" Naruto shouted, not noticing Tsunade's eyebrow twitching. "You're going to start spying on girls, and forget all about my training! You do that all the time! And then you'll say you're going to find information, but you don't see anything else aside from women!"

"Naruto!" Tsunade exclaimed suddenly, and the boy turned to her finally noticing the annoyed look on her face. "What Jiraiya does during your training is none of your concern; all that matters is you getting stronger, nothing else! I want you to start training immediately!"

"B-but…"

"That's final." Tsunade finished, and Naruto dropped his head as he sighed again, but then he nodded.

"Hai, I'm going, but if I don't improve, don't blame me!" Naruto exclaimed before walking out of the office, leaving Tsunade and Jiraiya alone.

"Well, I guess it's time for me to go too." Jiraiya said after a few minutes in silence, and Tsunade looked at him by the corner of her eyes. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he trains during this week, and I'll keep both my eyes on him."

"Jiraiya." Tsunade called-out when the man was about to reach the door, and slowly Jiraiya looked over his shoulder. "Only you can keep Naruto in line, but I must admit he's right; the older you, the more pervert you become."

"Ah, Tsunade you know me, I'm no pervert." Jiraiya started, a small smile on his face, and then he winked at the Hokage. "Besides, I'm not to blame; all girls in Konoha are just so hot these days; they offer me all the inspiration I need to write my books."

"Just make sure Naruto trains during this time." Tsunade sighed, raising her head from her hands, and Jiraiya rested his hand on the doorknob before nodding. "It seems that we must be prepared for everything."

"Hai, a tsunami is coming this way." Jiraiya said with a short nod, and Tsunade nodded before sighing. "Did Kakashi leave already?"

"Yes, and we have one week to prepare them." Tsunade answered, and Jiraiya narrowed his eyes slightly. "I'm also going to start training the girls; they need to be ready for what's coming."

"Did you receive news about your ghost that you forgot to tell me?" Jiraiya inquired in a serious tone, a dark look on his face. "Tsunade, don't you dare to leave me in the dark."

"I'm not, I have received no information about what's going on." Tsunade started, shaking her head slightly. "Neji, Lee, and Kiba returned with nothing new, but you have felt it, haven't you? Something stirring the air?"

"Not the air, the shadows." Jiraiya corrected before turning his back to Tsunade. "But I don't think we have something to worry about; one ghost can't do much against this village."

Waving a hand in a silent goodbye, Jiraiya opened the door before walking away, and Tsunade narrowed her eyes when the door was closed. Perhaps the village was not going to be affected, but no one could be certain about its inhabitants.

On the meantime, Kakashi was hopping from branch-to-branch, determination flashing in the depths of his black eye. He had six days…six days to go return to Konoha; the only obstacle about his returning was that he could not return alone. Not if they wanted to figure out what was going on.

"Pakkun, have you caught the scent?" Kakashi asked, gazing at the small brown dog that was also jumping from branch-to-branch, a dark-blue t-shirt-like protecting its torso. "You know we cannot lose much time."

"No, I'm still trying to find it." the dog answered before looking at the Jounin. "You're the one who didn't have anything to help me find the scent. Telling me to follow the scent of the ocean isn't much of a help, and you know it."

"Hai, and you know I'm sorry for that, but it has been such a long time since I last needed that fragrance." Kakashi commented, a shadowy look swallowing his determination slowly, but that look disappeared when the man shook his head. "Just find it, Pakkun, we have six days."

"Hai, but you haven't told me what you're going to do when we find the source." the dog said, and Kakashi shrugged as he jumped from a branch to another. "Last time we encountered the source, it took us a while to return."

"I know." Kakashi answered, before smiling. "I guess we'll have to play the games of the shadows then."

**To Be Continued…**

1 – Shikamaru says this in episode 98


	7. Laughter of the Moon

**Disclaimer: **I own the plot and some characters.

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I want to thank **Twin Psychos **for your review; you truly know it meant a lot to me, and I also want to leave here my gratitude to **Epoch Everlasting**. I also wanted to thank all those who made it possible for me to reach 2233 hits; even though I don't receive much reviews, I must admit I am surprised by the number of people who read this. Thanks everyone!

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**Chapter 6**

Laughter of the Moon

That was a beautiful sunset. The sky was now a deep shade of purple, the white colour of the clouds being embroiled by the gold of the sun. There were birds crossing the ocean above, the warm breeze taking their chirps to places behind the mountains. Children could be seen running through the garden that surrounded the hospital, their laughter echoing through the halls and rooms.

But inside one of the offices of the hospital was a completely different story. Darkness had already started to creep out from corners, the silence offering no comfort as temperature seemed to drop at a frightening rate.

"I-I don't understand…" Sakura finally said, a shocked look on her face, and her eyes meet a pair of amber coloured ones. "I thought we were supposed to practice now, and not to go back to training."

"Yes, you're right, and you've done an impressive work." Tsunade answered as she leaned against the wall, her right leg resting in front of her left one. "I must admit the three of you surprised me. Especially you, Sakura."

"But…start training again?" Sakura questioned, although inside she had been touched by the Hokage's words. "During a week? Why? Did something happen?"

"Sakura, it's not unusual for Jounin to be trained by someone older." Tsunade started calmly, her arms pressed against her chest. "And the same goes for you; Shizune is a great example. She could be working by herself by now, but she's still with me."

"B-but hum…i-is something going to happen?" Hinata questioned, twiddling her thumbs in nervousness. "I-I mean, one week to train…"

"We need to have everyone ready for a possible attack." Tsunade started, the look on her face never changing. "One week or one year…the time spent training doesn't matter if the goal is accomplished."

"Tsunade-sama, do you…I mean, and forgive me, but…why am I here?" Hana asked suddenly, and Sakura glanced at the girl only to see that she was shaking slightly. "I mean, Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan are far more experienced than me."

"I want the three of you to train." Tsunade started in her determined tone of voice, and Sakura turned to her. "However, you'll have different schedules because I want you to improve. And for that, I cannot have you doing what you did years ago."

"You're going to separate us?" Sakura asked, and Tsunade glanced at the three girls in silence before straightening up, and silently make her way towards them. "Why?"

"Sakura, you know I don't like to repeat myself." Tsunade started, stopping when she was one arm-length away from the girls. "You're going to be separated because you have to improve in different fields. But don't worry, after this week, you'll be together again."

"Who's going to train us, then?" Sakura asked, and Tsunade looked at her before smiling, her amber eyes slipping to Hinata.

"Hinata is going to start training with Shizune." the Hokage started. "She will help you to improve your ninja skills as well as your knowledge in medicine. Sakura, you'll stay with me; I'll teach you how to improve even more your medical skill. Hana, you're going to the Pharmaceutical Experiment Lab, there you'll find a book with medicine preparations and effects."

"Pharmaceutical Experiment Lab?" Sakura heard Hana whisper in confusion, and she glanced at the girl before smiling slightly.

"Hai, it belongs to the Nara family." Sakura explained, and Hana looked at her, a mask of confusion still on her face. "Oh, you know, it's Shikamaru's family."

"Oh." Hana muttered as she blinked, and Sakura smiled widely at her before turning to Tsunade, who now had her hands resting on her hips. "Tsunade-sama, when…hum when where are we supposed to leave?"

"You are leaving immediately." Tsunade answered, and Sakura blinked when she saw the Hokage staring at Hana. "Shikaku is leaving in three hours, and you can go with him. All arrangements have been made so that you won't be alone."

"Shikaku-san is…going to train me?" Hana asked, and Tsunade nodded.

"It's time for the three of you to become stronger." the older woman started, the corner of her lips curling into a small smile. "It's time for you to show that women can be even better than men, and allow me to say I couldn't be more proud. The three of you have surprised me in more ways than I expected."

"Hai!" Sakura, Hinata and Hana exclaimed, before bowing, and walk away of the room. In silence, Sakura allowed her two friends to leave the room first than her, before closing the door behind her.

Training…they were going to train, and she was going to improve. That was great, but at same time Sakura could not help but question why they were going to train. She had noticed the strange look in Tsunade's face, and for some reason Sakura could not help but think about the mission Sasuke, Naruto and Shikamaru had failed.

Could their training be linked to that failed mission? And if so, why?

"So, what do you think about all this?" Sakura asked finally voicing her doubts, and both Hinata and Hana looked at her. "I mean, this sudden order, and we being separated… I also heard that Kakashi-sensei is missing, and that Jiraiya-sensei is going to train Naruto. It's strange, ne?"

"H-hai, but you're going to stay with Tsunade-sama." Hinata said rather nervously, and Sakura focused her eyes on her. "I just hope I can do a good job with Shizune-san, and I hope Naruto-kun is alright."

"Ah, Jiraiya-sensei may be a pervert, but I guess he's a good person." Sakura said before chuckling when Hinata sent her a confused look. "I mean, he is a Sannin, ne?"

"Hum…hai." Hinata said timidly before glancing at Hana, who was staring down as the three of them made their way towards the front door of the hospital. "H-Hana-chan, is everything alright?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Hana answered, looking up, and then a small smile graced her pale features, but Sakura noticed that it did not reach the girl's eyes. "Just thinking about what we're going to do."

"Ne, Hana-chan don't worry about going to work with the Nara family." Sakura started, resting a hand on the girl's shoulder, and Hana turned to her. "I've heard wonders about the Pharmaceutical Experiment Lab, and I'm sure that Shikaku-san will help you. Besides, there's always Shikamaru, and I'm sure he won't mind giving you a hand during your training."

"Hai, I agree." Hinata said with a short nod, and Hana allowed her smile to grow a little bit as she nodded.

Despite of everything, Sakura could not help but think about what was going to happen. In less than three hours they would be separated, and start their training. The only thing that bothered her, was the fact that no matter how hard she tried to think of a reason for such sudden training, Sakura could not find an explanation.

All Sakura hoped was that nothing wrong would happen in the future.

»«»«»«

As she rested her hands behind her back, Hinata continued to watch as Kiba and Akamaru continued having fun by jumping from tree to tree. Shino was also close to them, having fun catching or observing some new bug that had caught his attention. A small smile graced Hinata's pale features as she continued to observe her team mates.

She had truly been blessed by having Kiba and Shino on her team. The three of them had different personalities, but it was also true that they were close. The three of them helped each other, protected each other, and improved together… Aside from that, Hinata also loved to be with them because they saw her.

They saw her when no one else did.

And Hinata simply loved them for it. Because they accepted her, they helped her, they never stopped supporting her... Sometimes Hinata could not help but think that she did not deserve such friends, but then Shino would always tell her something that changed her thoughts.

"Hinata." Shino called-out, and the girl snapped from her thoughts only to blush when she realized she had been caught staring at him. "You're rather quiet today; did something happen at the hospital?"

"Iie, I was just thinking." Hinata said, the smile back to her face, but Shino continued staring at her. "I was thinking about our team, and about how we managed to stay together despite of the years, and my training at the hospital."

"We're a team, and that's what we'll always be no matter the paths we chose." Shino replied, and Hinata nodded, a soft pink color on her cheeks. "But you haven't asked to train today, I take it that something happened."

"Hum…n-nothing important." Hinata said, looking down as she started twiddling her thumbs, and Shino turned to her, a blank expression on his face. "Tsunade-sama just want us to go through some training, and Shizune-san is going to help me during this week."

"Training?" Shino repeated, and Hinata nodded without looking up from her feet.

"Hai, she wants us to improve our skills, and Shizune-san is going to teach me more about medicine while telling me how to improve my fighting skills." Hinata replied rather timidly, but she looked down when Shino said nothing. "Hum…d-do you think I shouldn't do it?"

"If it is an order from the Hokage, you should do it." Shino replied, and Hinata glanced at him. "She knows what has to be done, but I can see why you're so reluctant to go to this training. However, I need to tell you not to worry, Kiba and I will still be here if you need to practice more."

"A-arigatou, Shino-kun." Hinata said, her words coming out just above a whisper. "This will only take one week, so I hum…I think Tsunade-sama will probably allow me to come back to the team. Hum…I hope Kiba-kun doesn't mind."

"Mind what?" Kiba asked as he suddenly appeared next to Shino, Akamaru by his side, waving its tale. "You guys really need to stop having this secret meetings. Man, I never know what's going on."

"H-hai, gomen ne, Kiba-kun." Hinata apologized, and Kiba sighed while shaking his head, and Akamaru barked again.

While Hinata explained what she was going to do during the next week, Hana was silently making her way towards the house of the Akimichi family. Against her chest was a rather thick book with a dark green cover, the wind blowing her hair away from her face as the girl continued to walk slowly.

"Oi! Hana-chan!" a voice called-out, and the girl stopped her tracks before turning around, and smile slightly when she noticed it was only Chouji. Her smile, however, did become smaller when she noticed the person who was beside the boy. "Ne, Hana-chan, is it true that you're leaving with Shikamaru's father?"

"Hum, hai." Hana replied with a short nod when the boy reached her side, her eyes slipping to Chouji as Shikamaru stopped in front of her. "The Hokage wants us – Sakura, Hinata and myself – to train a little bit, and she requested me to go to the Nara's Pharmaceutical Experiment Lab."

"Tsk, troublesome." Shikamaru sighed, his hands stuffed into his pockets, and Hana glanced at him before focusing her attention on Chouji again. "Ne, you're coming with me, right? Otousan did tell me about having to take someone with me, but I never thought it was a woman. Tsk, how troublesome…"

"Shikamaru-san, gomen ne if this is troublesome for you." Hana started as she bowed slightly, still holding the book against her chest. "But Tsunade-sama told me to go, and I can't go against her orders. I promise I'll try not to impose nor to become a burden."

"Eh?" Shikamaru asked, raising an eyebrow slightly while Hana rose her head again, and when their eyes meet, he sighed. "I never said you were a burden, I just said this was going to be a drag."

"Shikamaru, you have to promise me you'll keep an eye on Hana-chan for me." Chouji spoke suddenly with a determined look on his face, and Shikamaru turned to him, his hands now resting behind his neck. "Promise me you'll help her."

"Hai, hai, this is the Hokage's orders after all, ne?" Shikamaru said with a small shrug, boredom clear in his voice, and Hana looked away as the two boys continued talking to each other.

Yes, that was all about an order…

"So, when are you going to get ready?" Shikamaru asked suddenly, and Hana snapped from her thoughts only to notice that the two boys were staring at her. "Eh, you do know we're supposed to leave now, ne?"

"Hum…hai, I'll just prepare my bag. Please, give me ten minutes, and I'll be back." Hana said with a quick bow before running towards the entrance of Chouji's house, leaving the two boys behind.

After taking her shoes off, Hana run up the stairs that lead to the second story of the cottage, but before she could reach the door that lead to her room, the girl was forced to stop. Slowly Hana looked over her shoulder, waiting to see the person who had called her, and she bowed when Chouji's father, Akimichi Choza, emerged at the top of the stairs.

"Choza-san, did something happen?" Hana asked as she rose her head, and the red haired man stopped in front of her, his eyes locked with her form. "If you're looking for Chouji, he's outside with Shikamaru-san."

"Iie, I was looking for you." Choza started, shaking his head slightly, and Hana blinked at his words. "I was informed about this new training of yours, and all I wanted to tell you is to never give up. I'm sure your parents will be proud when they find out how far you have come since you arrived."

"Arigatou, Choza-san, your words truly mean a lot to me." Hana said as she bowed again, "I'll return in a week, but I hope you excuse me. I told Shikamaru-san I would be ready in ten minutes, and I still need to pack."

"Of course, I just wanted to tell you that." Choza said as he smiled at the girl, who looked up at him before returning the smile. "Just remember that no matter what, everyone is already proud of you, and Chouji is truly happy to have you here."

"Hai." Hana whispered, looking down at the man's feet, and then she bowed again. "Arigatou for allowing me to stay here, Choza-san, I promise I'll do my best."

"That's already more than enough." Choza replied before bowing slightly, and then he walked away, leaving Hana all by herself.

Like she had promised, Hana was ready in ten minutes, but when she was about to cross the front door, she was stopped once again. This time, it was by Chouji, who stared at her with a strange look on his face.

"Eh, Chouji, is there something wrong?" Hana asked as she stepped to her side so that the boy could walk past her in order to walk inside the cottage, but when Chouji said nothing, Hana rose an eyebrow. "Chouji, if you don't have anything to say, I…"

"Be careful." Chouji spoke suddenly, and Hana blinked at his words. "I trust Shikamaru with my life, and I know that no matter what he will keep an eye on you, but I still want you to be careful."

"It's only for one week, Chouji, I'll be back before you know it." Hana said, smiling slightly, and then she rested a hand on the boy's shoulder. "C'mon, I bet you won't even notice time flying. Besides, I'm sure you have to train too."

"Fine, but promise me." Chouji said, and after a few moments in silence, Hana nodded. When she did, a wide smile appeared on the boy's face, and he suddenly pulled a bag filled with food from out-of-nowhere. "Here, Shikamaru likes to stare at the clouds while having a snack. I'm sure you'll like it too."

"Arigatou, Chouji." Hana said before kissing the boy on the cheek, and then she took the bag from his hand. "I'll be back in one week. Until then, be careful too, alright?"

When Chouji nodded, Hana smiled at him one last time before turning to Shikamaru, who was waiting for her in the middle of the street. However, when Hana gave the first step forward, a cold wind blew from North, and the girl shivered.

Slowly, she glanced at the sky, her eyes falling on the twinkling stars before focusing on the bright yet secretive Full Moon. And for some reason, Hana could swear that the wind seemed to be carrying the Moon's laughter.

"Oi, you ready or not?" Shikamaru asked suddenly, and Hana forced herself to look away from the moon to gaze at the boy, and then she nodded.

»«»«»«

"Ne, Ero-Sennin, what are we doing here?" Naruto asked as he gazed at what existed around him. It was rather easy to describe what was around him; on the left side was a forest, on the right side was a cliff. A very frightening looking cliff. "Hmm, no women close by? Are you sick?"

"You people keep telling me I'm never serious, but you get all suspicious when I'm not staring at some woman." Jiraiya sighed, "Make up your mind, will you?"

"Hum…are you really, really going to train me?" Naruto asked with his eyes narrowed slightly, and Jiraiya nodded at same time he crossed his arms. "I bet you want something; what is it?"

"You'll see when the time comes." Jiraiya replied, but the suspicious look in Naruto's face only increased because the man started laughing wickedly. "I want you to read this. When I return, I'm going to ask you some questions, and you better know all the answers."

"Ah!" Naruto yelped when Jiraiya suddenly threw a huge scroll at him, and the boy fell on the ground. "What the heck is this? This isn't training!"

"For you to be a great ninja, you also need to exercise these muscles." Jiraiya explained, pointing at his skull. "When you learn how to use these, we'll start the real training. But until then, I'm off."

"Ero-Sennin!" Naruto shouted when Jiraiya waved a hand in goodbye before walking away, towards the forest. When he was alone, Naruto grunted before gazing down at the scroll. "Damn that pervert, I knew he was going to leave me alone. I just knew it!"

"Excuse me." a voice called-out, and Naruto looked up from the scroll with an 'eh?'. Almost instantly his eyes meet a pair of carmine coloured ones, a long black hair blowing at the wind. For a moment nothing was said as the two young adults continued staring at each other, but the silence was broken when Naruto blinked.

"Err yeah?" Naruto questioned, finally allowing his eyes to fall on the girl's clothes; a leather jacket with no sleeves with a hood attached and white cotton draw strings hang from the ends of the hood that reached below the girl's breasts, a burgundy top, matching short hot pants to the jacket…she seemed to be a ninja.

"I take it by your headband that you're from Konohagakure." the girl started, her eyes glancing at the symbol of Naruto's headband before focusing on the boy's eyes again. "I'm new here, so can you tell me which direction takes to Konoha?"

"Hum…it's that way." Naruto answered, pointing to his left, and a small smile graced the girl's sun-kissed features. "Err…do you want me to take you there or something?"

"No, that's alright, I think I can manage. Oh, and good luck with that scroll." the girl added before disappearing, and Naruto stared at the place where she had stood before sighing. When was he going to go back to Konoha?

"No! I have to do this!" Naruto told himself, a determined look on his face, and then he nodded. "I'm going to be the next Hokage, so I have to do this! I have to exercise my brain in order to improve!"

With a quick movement with his wrist, Naruto opened the scroll, and stared down at the black words written on it. For a long time Naruto did not move from the spot, the determined look on his face until a cold wind blew suddenly, playing with the boy's spiky hair.

Suddenly, Naruto stared at the sky.

"I don't understand your handwriting, Ero-Sennin!"

**To Be Continued…**

Sorry if this chapter was a bit boring, but I had to write it. Next chapter already written and waiting!


	8. Breeze of Hostility

**Disclaimer:** So I own the plot and the unknown characters. Nothing else.

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I want to thank **city with no people** _and _**Twin Psychos**; you guys rule and your reviews mean so much to me! Thank you for your support!

Now, this is a message for _everyone_. You know, I'm not the kind of person who cares much about reviews (like everyone, I like to receive them, but I think that as long as everyone's happy, I'm fine with it), _but_ I must admit I'm getting a bit worried. I cannot help but notice the huge gap between the number of reviews and the number of hits, so I must ask you this; is something lacking in this story? I mean, do you think I should change something? I'm trying to figure out if something is happening that should be changed, but I would really appreciate if you guys could tell me what it is. Well, sorry for bothering you with this, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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**Chapter 7**

Breeze of Hostility

With a growl, Sasuke threw another kunai at the tree's trunk before jumping into the air until he was upside down. Closing his eyes, Sasuke grabbed six other kunais, and threw them into different directions before falling on his right knee.

Glancing around, Sasuke smirked when he noticed he had hit all the 'X' he had draw on various trees before the beginning of that training session. Everything was going perfectly well; he had not missed one single target yet, and only now – after three hours training – was Sasuke starting to feel tired.

However, that was still not enough.

It would never be enough.

And all because the one who was supposed to supervise his training was out, in some secret mission. That was the first time Kakashi had left without leaving indications about what Sasuke was supposed to do. Therefore, and since everybody else was also going through some sort of training, Sasuke had decided to spend his time alone, training his muscles and spirit.

After all, if no one cared about helping him, he should not be bothered by those who seemed to need his help.

"Sharingan!" Sasuke spoke suddenly, his onyx-black eyes becoming crimson-red, and then he grabbed the shuriken he had strapped to his back. Taking balance, Sasuke jumped into the air, and immediately aimed at one strong tree. "Kage Shuriken no Jutsu!"

As he threw the shuriken, Sasuke fell on the ground, now on his feet, and his smirk returned to his face when he saw four trees falling after being hit. That was good; he had to admit to himself that he loved training by himself, but sometimes Sasuke could not help but feel the need of challenging someone.

Someone who would fight him with every little bit of power and chakra.

Someone like Uzumaki Naruto.

Closing his right hand into a strong fist, Sasuke started running towards the fifth tree where the shuriken had stuck, and with a cry he jumped into the air again. Giving a somersault, Sasuke kicked the tree just above the shuriken before punching it. This time, however, pain did shot from Sasuke's side, and the boy flipped backwards before falling on the ground, on his knee.

His wounds were healing completely, but from time-to-time Sasuke had noticed that his side would ache a bit. Most of the times it was more like a tingling, but every time he tried to pass his limits, Sasuke would be forced to return to reality, and all because of a stupid and annoying pain.

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke forced himself to stand up, drops of sweat rolling down his face as he stared at the shuriken. After a deep breath, Sasuke walked towards the weapon, and pulled it off the trunk before staring at the slash left on the tree. He wanted to improve…he wanted to be better than everybody else, but then…why did Sasuke feel as if he was staying behind?

Why did he have the feeling that he was never going to beat Naruto?

"Sasuke…"

The boy turned on his heels as soon as the wind whispered his name into his ear. It was that voice again…that haunting voice…the voice that belonged to the one who Sasuke knew that could finish the puzzle he was also trying to complete.

"Show yourself!" Sasuke shouted suddenly, his right hand holding his left side as he increased his grip on the shuriken with his left hand. "You damn coward…"

"So, this is where you train." a voice commented suddenly, and Sasuke looked over his shoulder, ready to use his shuriken when he was forced to stop. "Hum…no wonder why no one could find you; you drifted off from Konoha."

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked not bothering to sound polite even though he was taking to the Fifth Hokage, and Tsunade stared at him before smiling slightly, her hands on her hips.

"I want you to return to the village; it's not safe to wander away from Konoha, and you know what can happen if ANBU finds you here without permission." Tsunade advised, but Sasuke just continued to stare at her before smirking.

"Humph, all this just because of a failed mission?" the boy asked, and Tsunade looked at him, the smile never leaving her face." Tsk, you're doing a pitiful job trying to hide your worry."

"And you're doing a fantastic job getting into my nerves." Tsunade retorted before pointing in direction of Konoha. "Go back before I drag you myself; what's happening is none of your concern."

"So, something _is_ happening." Sasuke deadpanned, but he looked away when Tsunade glared at him. "Humph, I should have known there had to be a good explanation for everyone to be training now. How pathetic."

"Look, don't you get all conceited on me because I can put you unconscious with one finger." Tsunade started, anger clear in her voice, and Sasuke glanced at her by the corner of his eyes. "You better start moving before I make you."

"Tsk, whatever." Sasuke muttered before strapping his shuriken to his back, and after stuffing his hands into his pockets he started walking. When he was just beside Tsunade, Sasuke looked at her, but no word left his lips. Despite of everything, Sasuke could see that the Hokage was serious just by the way she was staring at him, but his gut was still telling him that there was a reason for the sudden training sessions.

And for some unknown reason Sasuke could be certain that whatever was causing those trainings would be revealed to everyone in less than four days.

»«»«»«

"Are you sure this is it?" Pakkun asked suddenly as the two of them reached a beach, and Kakashi gazed down at the dog before sighing.

Slowly, the two of them looked behind them, and sweatdropped when they saw the weapons stuck in the ground just behind them, three huge holes not too far from their location, and some fallen trees. Marks of explosions could be seen in various others trees, most of them no longer with leaves or even standing properly.

"Yes, I think we're on the right place." Kakashi said as he turned his attention back to Pakkun, who gazed at him before sighing. "Well, we only have four more days, and no time to lose. Have you smelled anything familiar?"

"Hum…let me check." Pakkun said, and as the dog started smelling the air, Kakashi stared at the ocean. The water was calm as ever, the waves rolling gently over the white sand…that could be a great place to spend a day chilling, but Kakashi knew that was not the time for him to be thinking about holidays.

"Egyptian Musk."

Turning to Pakkun, Kakashi saw his dog still smelling the air while wandering around through the sand. For a moment he could have sworn he had heard Pakkun comment something…

"Egyptian Musk?" Kakashi repeated, and Pakkun turned to him before nodding. "Very well, mind showing the way? We don't have time to lose."

"Yeah, yeah, follow me." Pakkun said before starting to run, and after a moment without moving, Kakashi sighed before following his dog. There were things that would definitely never change…And he truly hoped that other things were still the same, because he definitely had not time to waste.

Kakashi stopped when he noticed Pakkun slowing down, and his eye widened in surprise when he spotted the source of the fragrance. A woman was lying on the sand, resting on her elbows. Her long teal coloured hair was dancing at the wind, her tanned skin being kissed by the sunlight. She was dressed with a white bikini top and a viridian coloured skirt that was tied up on her hip, allowing Kakashi to see the very short white shorts she was wearing underneath.

For a moment, Kakashi felt it impossible to move. To give the first step towards the woman meant remembering things that had been done wrongly in the past…things that had not been mended, and that probably would never be.

"I take it you got bored just hanging around Konoha looking like the badass you like to be." the woman commented suddenly, without tearing her eyes away from the sea, but Kakashi still did not move. "What do you want?"

"It's good to see you too." Kakashi replied still without moving, and the woman smirked before looking at him. Her eyes…they had always been exquisite….being the right one cerulean coloured and the left one of a deep jade colour, it seemed as if the woman could stare at anybody's soul and read their thoughts.

"I never said it was good to see you." she retorted, and Kakashi sighed before stuffing his hands into his pockets, and slowly he made his way towards the woman. "Whatever you want, you better not even ask for it."

"Mesi, you cannot possible be telling me to leave without letting me tell you what brought me here on the first place." Kakashi stated, and the woman glared at him before standing up, the skirt falling down to her bear feet.

"I bet it was not because you missed me." Mesi retorted, coldly, and Kakashi sighed. "And I won't help Konoha in anything. I left with no idea of returning, so you better leave before I make you."

"Someone needs an anger management class." Pakkun commented, and Mesi glared at him at same time Kakashi looked down at the dog before sighing.

"You can leave now, Pakkun." Kakashi said, and the dog looked at him before nodding, and seconds later Pakkun disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Then, Kakashi glanced at Mesi again. "I'm not going to lie to you, I came here because Konoha needs you."

"It's really touching to hear you speak the truth, but you can still go to hell because I'm not going to help." Mesi replied, her right hand resting on her hip. "Better yet, you can return to your village empty handed, and try to figure out what to do by yourself."

"Konoha is your village too." Kakashi commented, and Mesi rolled her eyes. "You have a duty towards your village whenever you like it or not, and you know I can force you to go."

"Yes, that's true, but I also know you won't." Mesi retorted, the smirk back to her face. "If you were to force me to go back, you wouldn't have come alone, I tell you that. Besides, you're Hatake Kakashi, you do things your own way, alone. That has always been your way, and I'm sure you haven't changed."

"You seem too sure about me, when we haven't seen each other in years." Kakashi commented, his hands still stuffed into his pockets, but Mesi said nothing. "Do you really think I would be here if it wasn't serious?"

"No, and that's exactly why I'm not helping you." Mesi replied, the wind blowing her long teal coloured curls away from her face. "Go back, Hatake, and don't come bother me anymore. You may have escaped from my traps – in fact, I never doubted you would – but I can seriously kick your ass if you come bother me again."

"You can't possibly still be mad at me." Kakashi spoke when the woman turned around, ready to leave. "Mesi, some people in Konoha will suffer if you don't come help us. Tsunade has even started some serious training, bu-"

"Shut up!" Mesi shouted, and Kakashi narrowed his eye when the woman spun around, and quickly made her way towards him. Then, she started poking his chest with her index finger. "Don't you dare to start judging me. In fact, if someone is to judged, that someone is you! For years you have known that I was here, but you have never come visit me, but now…now that Konohagakure is in danger, the brave Hatake Kakashi decided to come see an old friend. Well, guess what? You're going back empty handed because I don't care!"

"Listen, this has nothing to do with us." Kakashi started, grabbing the woman's wrist when she was about to turn around. "This is about Konoha, about lives that can be put in danger. I know I should have come sooner, but you could have returned too."

"Yeah, you're right, I could." Mesi started, staring at the tall man. "But I also know that Konoha is not one that likes to enter in dangerous fields unless something bad is about to happen. But guess what? This time you stepped in an indifferent ground, that doesn't give a damn about what can happen!"

"Since when did you become this cold?" Kakashi asked, and Mesi pulled her wrist back, making the man release her wrist.

"You should ask yourself that." Mesi replied before turning around, "Don't come here again, Hatake, and give the Hokage this message; stop screwing every friendship you may have with people because you never known when you may need their help."

With those words, Mesi started walking away, Kakashi watching her until she was nothing but a small dot in the horizon. With a sigh, Kakashi turned his attention to the waves, the fresh sea breeze playing with his silver hair; it seemed that time did help things changing, but unfortunately not all changed for the best.

"I wonder how Tsunade will react…" Kakashi commented to himself before sweatdropping, "She'll probably break some windows, ne? Hum…"

»«»«»«

"Hey, Akamaru, wait up!" Kiba shouted before running after the huge dog, who simply barked in reply before continuing to run through the desert street. "Aw c'mon, you have four legs! You know that's cheating!"

Akamaru simply barked at that, and Kiba shook his head as he continued to follow his dog.

"What do you mean 'hurry up, lazy ass'? I'm following you, am I not?" Kiba shouted as Akamaru started running faster, and Kiba sighed before making his body move faster. "Ah c'mon! We're supposed to go train with Shino, and not to fool around! Akamaru!"

Without any previous warning, Akamaru stopped running, and since he was unable to stop, Kiba found himself slamming against his dog before falling on the ground. Wincing slightly, Kiba rubbed his lower back before staring at Akamaru, his left eye closed.

"Man, when I told you to stop, I never meant for you to stop like this!" Kiba exclaimed, but he blinked when he noticed that Akamaru was staring at some random point on his right. Silently, Kiba gazed at the same direction, and blinked again when he noticed that a girl was standing right beside Akamaru.

"You're very beautiful." the girl commented, and Kiba stared dumbfounded at Akamaru, when he noticed the dog allowing the stranger to pet him on the nose. "And strong; I'm sure that you're owner is a respectful person."

"Hey, Akamaru!" Kiba shouted suddenly after standing up, but he shut up when the girl stared at him at same time Akamaru turned his head. "What are you doing with her? Don't you remember the rule? Never talk to strangers."

"I really doubt I would understand whatever your dog could ever tell me." the girl commented, her black hair caressing her sun-kissed cheeks, and Kiba blushed faintly in embarrassment. "Yet, I must repeat; for you to be the owner of such specimen, you must truly be someone of respect. Such beast needs control and someone with a pulse of iron."

"Hey, don't call Akamaru beast! He's not a monster!" Kiba exclaimed angrily, and the girl stared at him before focusing her attention back to Akamaru, and a small smile appeared on her face.

"Perhaps he's not one when he's like this, but I'm sure that when he's angry…when he's bloodthirsty…I'm sure than in those moments he becomes a very impressive beast." the girl started before tapping Akamaru's nose, and then she turned to Kiba again. "I need to find the Hokage, may you tell me where I can find her?"

"Tsk, look for her yourself." Kiba retorted, and the girl raised an eyebrow. However, before something could be said, Akamaru made a strange noise with its throat, and Kiba rolled his eyes. "Oh fine, look for the building with the symbol of fire. You'll find the Hokage there."

"Thank you." the girl thanked, and Kiba stared at her only to sweatdrop when he noticed she was staring at Akamaru and not him. "Be a good boy, alright?"

"Akamaru is my best friend, he's behaves wonderfully." Kiba retorted, and the girl stared at him, something flashing in the depths of her carmine coloured eyes. "What?"

"I was telling you to be a good boy." the girl stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Kiba sweatdropped at her words. "Anyway, thanks for helping me out, and I'll see you around."

"You wish." Kiba muttered when the girl walked past Akamaru in order to take the road on the left, but when Akamaru barked, Kiba sighed again. "What do you mean she was talking about you? She is not going to see you again, I tell you that."

Akamaru barked and waved its tail, and Kiba shook his head at same time he crossed his arms against his chest.

"I'm telling you, you're not going to see her again." Kiba started, "And don't you behave like some pup in love; I'm sorry for informing you of this, but she's a human, so your love is impossible."

After those words, Akamaru dropped his head, and Kiba allowed his lips to form a smirk. Then, he approached his animal friend, before tapping Akamaru's torso, and then he cuddled the animal's ear.

"C'mon, time for us to go."

Still smirking, Kiba started walking, but he was forced to stop when he sensed something in the air. There was a strange fragrance in the air…it seemed as if the breeze was carrying hostility, but that could not be right? No, that was impossible. But then, why did Kiba suddenly feel as if something was going to happen?

Something that was going to shake everybody's lives?

**To Be Continued…**


	9. Drops of Time

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and the new characters.

»«»«»«

You know people, for the first time since I'm in this site that I'm starting to get disappointed with all this, I mean…I'm honoured to have so many hits, but I'm starting to feel sad for having so little feedback. I have two new chapters written down, but I need to be honest that it's getting hard for me to write because I don't know what you people think. »sighs« Anyway, I want to leave here a very special thanks to **Twin Psychos** and **city with no people**. I also leave here a thanks to **sing-saosin-sing** and **Elder Legend**.

»«»«»«

**Chapter 8**

Drops of Time

Taking a deep breath in, Sakura continued to stare at the butterfly in her hand as she tried to cure it with her right hand. A pale green light was already surrounding both her hand and the butterfly, but Sakura knew she was still far from curing the flying animal. To everybody's eyes it could seem that the butterfly would be cured in a blink, but it was exactly the opposite. The wings of a butterfly were frail, and with a simple touch of a finger they could become ash, and that was why Sakura had to focus.

That was why Sakura had to do everything slowly, never allowing something from outside to break her concentration. After all, she was there to save a life, and not to take it away by a foolish movement.

Sakura knew she had to do her best to cure the butterfly. She had been reading some books that Tsunade had given her, and now Sakura knew the whole theory about taking care of butterflies. But it was not the theory that was going to save the animal…the fading black words in white pages were not going to allow the butterfly to fly again.

Slowly, Sakura dropped her right hand, her eyes fixed on the quiet butterfly that was still resting on the palm of her left hand. For a long moment nothing happened, and Sakura could swear she could hear her heart pounding painfully against her rib cage. What if she had failed? What if she had done something wrong?

One flick…

A wide smile graced Sakura's pale features when she saw the butterfly opening its wings. Oh, and how beautiful they were with shades of purple and blue, the outline of the wings rich with a black colour… Without wanting to waste anymore time, Sakura quickly opened the window in front of her, and rose her hand before watching the butterfly fly away.

The wide smile on Sakura's lips did not quiver as the girl watched the butterfly disappearing in the air, but it did fade when she remembered that she had to continue training. She had been inside that office for five days now; her routine was to go to the office early in the morning, and return home for dinner and sleep. Sakura had not seen anyone during those days…she had not seen Naruto…she had not seen Sasuke…

With a sigh, Sakura glanced to her side, and her eyes fell on the desk where three other books were waiting for her to study them. Sakura could still remember when Tsunade had told her to keep an eye on Naruto and Sasuke, but she was failing to accomplish that task. And all because Tsunade had suddenly ordered her to deepen her knowledge.

For a moment Sakura closed her eyes, a fresh breeze playing with her short pink hair as it entered through the window. Sakura was conscious that that training had an objective, but it was killing her not to know why she was doing it. Yet Sakura knew better than asking the Fifth Hokage about it; she was positive that Tsunade would tell her nothing about it.

"Time to focus." Sakura whispered to herself before walking towards the desk, leaving the window open. Silently, Sakura sat down on the wooden chair before grabbing the closest book, but when she opened it, she sighed. Sakura was aware that she was improving, but at same time she could not help but feel as if she was missing something…as if time was passing by, and she was not conscious of it for being locked in that room all the time.

"No, this has a purpose. Now, _focus_." Sakura told herself as she shook her head, and then she stared at the first page of the book. "You can save Sasuke-kun and the others with this, so focus!"

»«»«»«

"Tsunade-sama, are you sure about this?" Shizune asked as she stared at the Hokage while holding a pink pig against her chest. "We haven't heard about Kakashi-san for quite some time now, and I'm not sure if we shoul-"

"I'm ninety percent sure Kakashi will return alone." Tsunade started, her fingers entwined in front of her lips, and Shizune blinked. "Those who face a wild tsunami can only return alone. I cannot wait for Kakashi to return, and tell me that his mission also failed. We have something more important to take care of."

"Hum hai, but did something happen?" Shizune asked as she allowed the pig to jump from her arms, and sat down on the floor. "Did you receive any more information about whoever attacked Naruto-kun and the others?"

"Yes, I did." Tsunade replied before raising a piece of paper that had been lying on the desk, in front of her, and she stared down at it. "I've just received a notice from an ANBU team in Iwagakure, and it seems that they received an unscheduled visit."

"Did something happen?" Shizune asked suddenly, and Tsunade sighed before putting the paper down, her chin now resting on her left hand. "Was it the same person?"

"There are no details, except for the fact that the Kage there was the one who received the visitor." Tsunade continued, boredom in every word, and Shizune gulped. "There was no direct attack, but it seems that Tsuchikage was forced to reveal some of his attacks."

"What? The Kage was attacked?" Shizune asked in a very loud tone of voice, and Tsunade twitched before leaning against the chair, her hands resting on the chair arms." B-but that's impossible! No one should be able to attack a Kage!"

"It seems to me there's more in this than we know." Tsunade started, "I have already sent messages to people who can give us a hand if needed, but right now I need Kakashi here. I wonder how much time it will take for him to return."

"He left five days ago…" Shizune whispered, and Tsunade moved her chair to the side so that she could stare at the windows behind her. "Tsunade-sama, do you think we should do something? I mean, I have been training Hinata, and let me say she is a very promising girl, but…do you think that asking seventeen-year-olds to train without telling them why, is going to be enough?"

"Like you said, Hinata is a promising girl." Tsunade started, raising her hands and entwining her fingers. "All of them are very promising, and I know that if something happens, we can lean on them. And speaking about them…have you heard from Naruto?"

"No, I'm certain that Jiraiya-sensei took him to some concealed area in order for them not to be disturbed." Shizune replied, and Tsunade sighed as she continued to stare through the window. "I also heard that Hana-chan is doing great with the Nara family, and that everybody else is also doing their best in their missions and trainings."

"Hai." Tsunade replied, but this time that single word came out too softly, and Shizune entitled her head to the side, expecting to hear more. "Sakura is also doing a fantastic job, and that's why we have to complete this training as soon as possible. On the meantime, call Kiba, Shino and Tenten; I want them to go to Iwagakure, and check on the Kage. I want them to come here immediately."

"Hai!" Shizune exclaimed as she saluted, and then she bowed before leaving the office with quick steps. When the door was closed, Tsunade turned her chair back to its original position, and her eyes fell on the pig that stared back at her.

"Drops of time keep falling, but it seems that we're stuck." Tsunade whispered, and the pig oink'ed in reply, making the Hokage sigh as she closed her eyes. "I just wish I knew what's going to happen next…"

"Hello." a voice greeted suddenly, and Tsunade opened her eyes only to stare at the person that had suddenly appeared in front of her. "I'm terribly sorry for being late, but you know now things can be."

"I see you returned alone." Tsunade commented in her usual neutral tone of voice, and Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "I take it you didn't tame the tsunami, but it was not as if I was expecting you to."

"Well, I still think you shouldn't lose hope." Kakashi said calmly before stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I think that even the feral tsunami can be of a great help when we're facing danger."

"Humph, I let you judge that, but for now I want you to go check on Sasuke." Tsunade started, and Kakashi blinked. "I caught him training alone, outside Konoha. You shouldn't have left without telling him what to do."

"Hai, hai, and I'm terribly sorry about that." Kakashi apologized, and the corner of Tsunade's lips curled up into a small smile. "But before I go, I'm sure I lost some events while I was out. Can you fill me in?"

"Actually, w-" Tsunade trailed off when someone knocked on the door, and she quickly gave the permission for the person to walk in. She did blink though, when Tsunade came face-to-face with Shino, Kiba and Tenten; they were truly improving. "Good, you arrived just in time to know what I want you to do."

"Does this have anything to do with that girl? Because if it has, then I had nothing to do with it, Akamaru was the one who made me tell her where you were." Kiba spoke suddenly, and Tsunade blinked confusedly at him. "Akamaru just told me I was being impolite, and that if I didn't tell her, he would bring her here himself."

"I have no idea about what you're taking about." Tsunade commented suddenly, and everyone stared at Kiba, making the boy blink in reply. "No one came to see me today, much less some girl."

"What? But she asked me how she could find you!" Kiba exclaimed, and Tsunade immediately gazed at Kakashi, who nodded in a silent agreement. "I'm sure I didn't dream about her, because Akamaru saw her too!"

"Kiba, describe the girl." Kakashi spoke suddenly, and the boy stared confusedly at him for a moment before tapping a finger against his chest.

"I don't know, I err…let me think…" Kiba muttered as he continued to think, everybody else staring at him. "Hum…she had black hair…I think it reached her elbows, and hum…carmine eyes, err….oh, and she had this strange sweet spicy scent." at that, everyone sweatdropped. "What?"

"Hum…I'll see if I can find the girl." Kakashi spoke suddenly before disappearing in a cloud of smoke, and Tsunade sighed before staring at the three boys. It was time to start completing the puzzle.

»«»«»«

With a sigh, Shikamaru looked away from the clouds to stare at the girl who was sitting next to him. Hana was very focused in her work; the book with medicine preparations and effects from the Nara family was lying on the grass in front of the girl, while Hana had her legs crossed in Indian-style, a notebook on her right leg as she continued to take notes. Her wild hair was pulled into a low ponytail, but some streaks had managed to escape from it, so Hana was forced to put them behind her ear from time-to-time.

Every since they had arrived to the mountain, that the two of them had barely spoken. Shikamaru would make company or watch his father training Hana, but most of them time he would just get bored and stare at the clouds. Besides, it was not as if he had something else to do.

With another sigh, Shikamaru focused his attention back to the white clouds, but he closed his eyes when a breeze washed over his body. It truly felt good to be there. It made him feel as if he was the luckiest person in the world, and most of the time Shikamaru would not even feel lonely or like the nobody he knew he was.

Slowly, Shikamaru allowed his eyelids to open again, and he continued to gaze at the sky. Yes, he was a nobody. No one seemed to notice him, but it was not as if Shikamaru was expecting someone to actually see him; in fact, when people noticed him, it was always during missions when he was the one saving people's lives.

But aside from that, Shikamaru was pretty much a nobody. Then again, with guys like Sasuke and Neji around him, Shikamaru was not expecting for some girl to see him. In fact, he did not even want a girl to notice him; women were just too much troublesome for him.

But then, Shikamaru found himself glancing at Hana by the corner of his eyes. She seemed to be different from Ino and Sakura; she was not perfect, in fact, Hana was slightly chubby, but still… Silently, Shikamaru turned his attention to the clouds again; he was certain that Hana was obsessed about Sasuke as Ino and Sakura were. If not, she was probably like Hinata, struggling with her feelings for someone who was too damn blind to notice her.

"I wonder how Uchiha is going." Shikamaru heard himself say, and he felt Hana stare at him so he was forced to look at her too. What he saw was not a wide pup-sick smile, but a troubled expression. "You know, Sasuke…"

"Ah yes, the boy Sakura took care of." Hana said before chuckling. "Sorry, I still don't know most of you, much less by your surnames. But now that you mention it, Ino likes Sasuke too, doesn't she?"

"What makes you say that?" Shikamaru asked, still staring at the girl, who shrugged in reply.

"When Chouji introduced us, she was all friendly, but then she threatened about not getting close to Sasuke." Hana explained, and Shikamaru raised an eyebrow as he imagined Ino saying that.

_"Hey, welcome to Konoha, I'm Yamanaka Ino. Please, allow me to give you an advise." Ino said cheerfully, but then madness flashed in her eyes. "Don't you dare to get close to Sasuke-kun or I'll dismember you myself."_

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered as he sweatdropped, but when he looked at Hana, he saw her scribbling something on the notebook again." I thought that Chouji would show you the positive aspects of Konoha, not the weirdest ones. A boyfriend should take you somewhere else, and not to Ino's store."

"Boyfriend?" Hana repeated as she looked up suddenly, her eyes finding Shikamaru's, and the boy nodded as he rested his hands behind his back. At his silent reply, Hana raised an eyebrow. "You mean Chouji?"

"Hai, hai." Shikamaru said as he stared at the clouds, but he blinked when he heard Hana laughing. For a long moment Shikamaru just stared at the girl, who was still laughing; that was the prove he needed to show that women were weird. Why on earth was she laughing?

"Yes, Chouji can be a bit silly sometimes, but meeting Ino was interesting." Hana commented suddenly as she stopped laughing, but a smile was on her face, and Shikamaru looked weirdly at her. "But I must disagree with you, Chouji is not my boyfriend."

"Eh?" Shikamaru asked, caught completely off-guard. "But you said you knew each other ever since you were kids, and that you have always been close. Man, this is so troublesome…"

"I thought Chouji had told you." Hana said, and Shikamaru blinked when the girl looked down, at her notebook. "If not, I thought my…appearance would give it away."

Shikamaru's brain immediately started processing the new information. Being the so-called genius for many people because of his I.Q., it did not take long for Shikamaru to realise his mistake, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"You're Chouji's cousin." Shikamaru stated, and Hana looked at him before nodding. "I take it, it's from his mother's side because you don't have the same surname. Man, this is such a drag; how come I didn't notice it before?"

"Well, that's okay, this was actually the first time someone said Chouji was my boyfriend." Hana giggled, and Shikamaru could not help but smile at her reaction. "I guess its safe to say that Chouji and I managed to beat the genius Nara Shikamaru."

"Tsk, I'm not a genius." Shikamaru disagreed suddenly, and Hana blinked at his words. "I'm simply a nobody, who loves to gaze at the clouds, and do absolutely nothing."

"You're not a nobody." Hana spoke suddenly, and Shikamaru closed his eyes. "Just because no one seems to acknowledge you, that doesn't mean no one can see you. What about Chouji? He's your best friend, is he not? Or were you just saying that?"

"You know, if there's something that it's truly special to me, that would be Chouji's friendship." Shikamaru started calmly, as he looked at Hana with his left eye. "Doubting that is out of the question."

"Then, don't say you're a nobody." Hana started, and Shikamaru opened his right when he saw the girl closing her notebook before doing the same with the enormous book of the Nara family. "Never feel like a nobody if you have someone who sees you when no one else does."

"Oi, where are you going?" Shikamaru asked as he sat down on the grass while Hana stood up to her feet. "You can't carry that book alone."

"I think I'll manage." Hana retorted as she grabbed the huge book with both her hands, and managed to raise it a little bit from the ground. Without saying anything else, Hana started walking without much balance because of the size and weight of the book.

"Tsk, troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered as he rose his right knee in order to rest his elbow on it, his eyes locked with Hana's form. "This is such a drag; why did I have to be the one watching over a woman? Man, how troublesome…"

As he finally looked away from Hana's form to gaze at the sky, Shikamaru sighed deeply. Women…he was never going to understand them; they were simply too troublesome for him to comprehend them.

As he breathed deeply, Shikamaru laid down on the grass again. His eyes immediately meet the white coloured clouds, but one word escaped from his lips when he noticed the fragrance in the air.

"Lilies."

»«»«««

"Very good, Hinata-chan, but now it's time for your meditation." Shizune spoke as she concealed the needles she had been holding, and a smile appeared on her face. "You're doing an amazing job; I'm sure Naruto-kun will be very proud when he finds out."

"D-don't s-say that." Hinata whispered, turning red, and Shizune laughed at her behaviour. "I'm just trying t-to change. I-I'm not d-doing this for Naruto-kun."

"And you're changing, Hinata-chan, you're becoming a very strong woman." Shizune started, and Hinata blushed even harder. "Even though I'm just an assistant, I must say I'm very proud for being the one helping you."

"And I r-really want to thank you f-for your support, Shizune-san." Hinata said as she bowed in respect, and the older woman smiled warmly at her. "A-are you going to be close by while I meditate?"

"Yes, I'm only going to look for some herbs Tsunade-sama asked me to bring back to her, and then I'll come back." Shizune quickly explained, and Hinata nodded. "On the meantime, I must ask you not to leave without me."

"Hai." Hinata replied with a nod, and with one last smile Shizune jumped to the closest branch before disappearing.

When she was alone, Hinata turned to her side, her eyes finding a comfortable spot in the middle of strong roots. Smiling faintly, Hinata made her way towards the spot where she sat down in Indian-style. Closing her eyes, Hinata rested her hands on her knees, and forced her thoughts to fade from her mind.

All thoughts except for one.

As she breathed deeply, Hinata could not help but think about the one who was the true reason for her to be training so hard. People often thought it was because of her father or even Neji, but they were all wrong. The one who made Hinata want to become stronger was the one who always seemed to cause problems during missions. And yet, despite of his personality, he was also the one who was ready to give his life for his friends.

Naruto…

Sometimes it seemed that he had acknowledged her. Some other times it was as if he did not even know her. Hinata knew she should not be surprised by his behaviour, after all Naruto could be really silly when he wanted to, but there were times…moments, when Hinata could not help but feel down.

Just like she had felt on the night when Naruto had told her he was taking her home…until Sakura appeared, looking depressed because Sasuke had preferred to be alone.

But it was also true that no matter what, Hinata could not hate Sakura. And the reason had to do with the fact that the same thing was happening to the two of them; the boys they liked simply did not see them.

A sigh left Hinata's lips as the girl continued to think about Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke. And the more she thought about them, the more she came to realise that they were all invisible to each other. Sakura was invisible to Sasuke, who only saw the girl as someone annoying, who kept behaving like a crazy girl, following him everywhere. Naruto was invisible to Sakura, who obviously only had eyes for Sasuke. And Hinata…well, she was pretty much invisible to Naruto, because all he thought about was Sakura.

How had they ended up in that mess Hinata did not understand, but she also knew it was not within her reach to comprehend that chaotic situation. All Hinata could try to understand was if she could do something to make Naruto notice her for who she was…like he did in her unspoken dreams and wildest wishes.

Suddenly a meow broke Hinata's concentration, and the girl opened her eyes with an 'eh?'. Glancing around, Hinata tried to spot whatever could have meowed, but when she noticed nothing was around, she figured she had just imagined it. That or it was probably Shizune-san coming back.

Either way, Hinata decided to close her eyes again, and take profit of those short minutes she still had left. She was there to improve both her mind and body, not to think about Naruto…although that had already proven to be extremely difficult if not impossible.

Again a meow was heard, and Hinata opened her eyes again, ready to use Byakugan, but before she could even think, Hinata froze. In front of her, staring at her with bloodthirsty grey eyes was a panther…a black panther that was staring at her in interest, its head entitled to the side. Hinata knew that the last thing she should do was to show fear, but it was not as if she could help it. That was a wild animal!

'Naruto-kun.' Hinata called-out in her mind as she rose a hand in front of her chin right when the panther meowed again, and then she gulped. However, it was then that the panther snarled, and all Hinata had time to do was scream like she had never screamed before.

**To Be Continued…**


	10. The New Moon

**Disclaimer:** So…I own the plot and the unknown characters.

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I want to thank to **fumoko**, **olliebird113**, **city with no people**, **Twin Psychos** and **SGCred**; you guys rule! I would be lost without you! Thank you for everything!!!

»«»«»«

**Chapter 9**

The New Moon

"So, what's the 25th clause of the ninja know-how?" Jiraiya asked suddenly as he looked up from the scroll, but he twitched when he saw Naruto staring at the cloudy sky with his arms pressed against his chest. "Naruto! Will you pay attention to me? I want an answer!"

"Ah, how do you expect me to know that?" Naruto shouted back, as he stared at the older man, an annoyed expression on his face. "During this whole day you have been asking me stupid questions. I want to train!"

"If these are stupid questions, then dare to tell me why you don't know the answers?" Jiraiya asked back, and Naruto looked away. "I told you to memorize all the 100 ideas of a ninja's know-how! Now, tell me what's the 25th clause of the ninja know-how? This is an important one! Tell me!"

"I don't know! This is too stupid!" Naruto yelled suddenly, but he yelped when Jiraiya suddenly smacked him on the top of the head. "Ow! Why did you do that Ero-sennin? You're the one who made me read everything! You never said anything about me memorizing the whole scroll!"

"Baka, the 25th clause is; 'a ninja must not show any emotion in any situation. A ninja must put the mission first and must have the heart that will allow him not to cry.' And allow me to add that the first part does not concern you." Jiraiya commented before shrugging when Naruto looked suspiciously at him. "After all, you always put too much emotion in your missions, hence the fact you failed this last one."

"Ah, whatever, I don't know why you're asking these stupid questions anyway." Naruto pouted as he looked away, and Jiraiya sighed. "You're the one who took me to this place, telling me we were going to train, but until now all I did was read that damn scroll and answer your stupid questions."

"Naruto!" Jiraiya started in a loud tone of voce, but he stopped when someone appeared behind his subordinate, who had yet to sense the newcomer. "What are you doing here? I told Tsunade I didn't want any interruptions."

"Huh? What are you talking about, Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked confusedly before blinking when he noticed that Jiraiya was looking behind him. Slowly, Naruto looked over his shoulder, and yelped when he saw Shino. "What the heck are you doing here?"

"Naruto, you have to return to Konoha immediately." Shino started, and Naruto raised both his eyebrows in confusion. "We can't lose more time. And Tsunade-sama wants to talk to you, Jiraiya-sama."

"Eh? What happened?" Jiraiya asked, but Shino simply stared at Naruto, his sunglasses concealing his eyes.

"Hinata." Shino started in a controlled voice, and slowly Naruto stood up from the ground. "Hinata has been attacked."

"NANI?" Naruto suddenly turned on his heels to Jiraiya, a look of distress and anxiety on his face. "Ero-sennin, I have to go! I know I have to train, but I have to go see Hinata!"

"Hai, I'll go too." Jiraiya started, crossing his arms against his chest, but then he stared at Shino, a darker look now on his features. "Do you know what attacked Hinata?"

"Yes," Shino started, and Naruto turned to him, waiting to hear more, "it was a black panther."

»«»«»«

"Tsunade-sama, do…do you know what happened to Hinata?" Sakura asked, looking over her shoulder to the woman who was standing behind her, with her arms crossed against her chest. "I mean…her wounds are just like Sasuke-kun's and the others."

"Sakura, thank you for helping me, but I want you to go check on Shizune." Tsunade spoke in a strong voice, her amber eyes locked with Hinata's motionless form. "And if you see Naruto coming here, don't let him come to this room unless I give the permission."

"Hum, hai." Sakura whispered as she glanced at Hinata one last time, and after a sad sigh, she walked out of the room, Tsunade watching her close the door silently behind her.

Still with her arms crossed against her chest, Tsunade stared at Hinata again; bandages covered the girl's arms and neck. Hinata was also incredibly pale, and Tsunade knew that if Naruto saw her in such condition everything would only get worse.

"Are you aware that you're the first suspect in my list?" Tsunade questioned suddenly, still staring at Hinata, but when silence was all that answered her, the Hokage glanced at the window. "Your reasons don't help you to get on my good side either."

"I wasn't expecting to be on your good side when I showed up." a female voice commented, and a girl jumped through the open window, black streaks caressing her sun-kissed cheeks. "But still I was the only one with guts to go save the girl and bring her here."

"That may be true, but I still find it difficult to believe that you showed up just to talk to me on the same day attacks started happening again." Tsunade pointed-out, and the girl stared at her with deep carmine coloured eyes. "What do you have to say in your defence?"

"I guess it doesn't truly matter what I say, you already think I'm the one who did that." the girl stated, staring at Hinata for a moment. "And since I know it doesn't matter what I say, I prefer not to say anything."

"What about telling me your name?" Tsunade asked inquired suddenly, her right hand now resting on her hip. "After all, you know who I am, but personally I hate to talk with people who don't introduce themselves."

"Suki. My name is Anei Suki." the girl introduced herself, and Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the name. "And if I'm my gut is right, I dare to say you're acquainted with the surname."

"The Anei clan?" Tsunade repeated, and the girl nodded before folding her arms against her chest. "That's not possible, I was told that the last member of that family died six years ago. How do I know you're speaking the truth?"

"Because only the members of the Anei clan and the three Sannin know that all the members of the Anei family were obliterated by Orochimaru." Suki replied calmly, never stepping out from her spot, and in a blink Tsunade was less than one arm-length away from her.

During what seemed like an eternity the two women just stared at each other, the silence that was falling on that room being everything except comfortable. Then, Tsunade rested both her hands on her hips, and straightened up.

"Anyone who did a quick research on the Anei clan could tell me what you did." Tsunade said as she smirked, but Suki just continued to stare at her, almost as if she was measuring the Hokage's strength. "Your words mean nothing if you have no proves."

"Ah, I think I do have one." Suki spoke suddenly, her hard expression never leaving her features, and Tsunade stepped backwards as the girl rolled both her jacket and top up, revealing her side. "I believe you've seen some of these."

In silence, Tsunade stared at the girl's side, and examined what could be described as being a tattoo. It had the same size as Sasuke's mark, but the same was completely different; that mark had the shape of three claws going down from right to left. It was a very strange mark, Tsunade could not help but think as she continued to stare at the tattoo, but then she smirked.

"You're going to be under surveillance of ANBU, and I swear that if a new attack happens while you're here, I'll personally throw you into the most degradable and dark cell I can find." Tsunade said in a very dark voice, but Suki simply smirked at her, which made Tsunade twitch. That girl remembered her of Naruto, just in a more confident and bitchy attitude.

"Where am I supposed to wait for ANBU?" Suki questioned, and Tsunade was about to answer when footsteps were heard, and suddenly the door of the room swung open. Turning around, Tsunade stared at whoever could be causing that commotion, and blinked when she saw Naruto outside the door, struggling to get free of the six medicals that were trying to hold him back.

"Let me go! I have to see Hinata!" Naruto shouted, and Tsunade sighed before making her way towards the boy, who was trying to step inside the room despite of the extra weight he now had. "Hinata!"

"Naruto!" Tsunade spoke in a very loud tone of voice, and when the boy spotted her, he stopped trying to get free. "This is a hospital! I won't have you screaming like that! I want you to turn around, and leave before I kick you out myself!"

"But Hinata! I have to see Hinata!" Naruto shouted back before struggling to get free again, and Tsunade allowed a flash of fondness to cross her eyes before folding her arms against her chest as she walked towards the boy. "Shino told me she was attacked! I have to see her!"

"Naruto, you know I don't like to repeat myself!" Tsunade started, in her usual strong and determined voice, and the boy stared at her, determination growing in his blue eyes. "You cannot see Hinata now, she's resting, and I also didn't give you the permission to come here. Come back tomorrow, and I promise you can see her then."

"But I have to see her now!" Naruto shouted, managing to free his right arm, but when he tried to step forward, his eyes found the girl that was leaned against the wall beside the window. "Ah! You're that girl!"

"Oh yes, you're the boy I found in the middle of nowhere, reading a huge scroll." Suki commented after a short silence, and then she smirked as she crossed her right leg in front of her left one. "Don't worry about your girlfriend, she's fine."

"Eh? Girlfriend?" Naruto asked, and Tsunade sighed; he sure was slow sometimes… "Hinata! I have to see Hinata!"

"Naruto! Stop that immediately!" Tsunade finally snapped, and Naruto looked at her. "Hinata is fine. She's sleeping, and she won't wake up any time soon. Come back tomorrow, and you better go because I'm about to kick you out!"

"But…"

"Naruto, I'm not going to repeat myself." Tsunade finished, but she had noticed how that single word had left Naruto's lips in a whisper. "Leave now, and come back tomorrow."

"Fine." Naruto finally muttered, and slowly the six medicals let him go. "But I swear that I'm going to find whoever did this to Hinata, and I promise that not even you will stop me, Tsunade-basan."

With those words, Naruto tried to look inside one last time, and then he glanced at Tsunade before walking away. In silence, the Fifth Hokage watched the blond disappear, and then she turned to Hinata; things were definitely not going well, and they probably would not end up well.

»«»«»«

In silence, Sakura walked past the main doors of the hospital, but stopped her tracks when a warm breeze started dancing with her hair and kissing her pale cheeks. Closing her eyes, Sakura rose her head just a little bit, and breathed deeply as she continued to feel wind swirling around her. It felt great to finally be able to feel the wind, and Sakura wished she could be there with Sasuke and Naruto, savouring that moment.

At that thought, Sakura opened her eyes, and looked down, the feeling of happiness disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. Yes, it was true, she did wish she could spend more time with them, but it was also true that right now they were not a team…for a long time they had stopped being team 7 to become individuals…individuals that barely saw each other now.

With a sigh, Sakura stepped through the open gates of the hospital, and silently made her way towards her house. She missed Sasuke and Naruto dearly; in fact, she had never thought she would miss Naruto's odd behaviour and strange bouncy attitude. But it was also true that she missed Sasuke the most…Sakura missed trying to reach past his walls, and talk to him…to be around him…

Sakura was aware that every time she was around Sasuke she would just behave like a little girl in love, but it was not as if she could help it. Sasuke was so cool, hot and intelligent that Sakura just did not know how to react around him. So, obviously, she behaved like any other girl would react when in the presence of the perfect guy.

And yet, at same time she behaved like a little girl in love, Sakura could not help but wish Sasuke could see her…Sakura could not help but mentally scream for Sasuke to see that inside she was not a crazy fan girl…all Sakura wanted was for Sasuke to notice that she truly loved him and that she really wanted to take care of him…

But then there was the feeling. The strange feeling that made Sakura shiver because it made her feel as if she was never going to reach out for the real Sasuke, and show him that life has more to offer than just revenge and hate. And that feeling confused Sakura mostly because there were moments when Sasuke showed that he cared, while in others it seemed as if he could not care less.

And those conflicting behaviours were driving her crazy.

"Sakura-san." a voice called-out, and the girl snapped from her thoughts when a tap on her shoulder made her look behind her, only to meet a pair of black eyes. "Hum…where are you going?"

"Oh, hello Lee-san." Sakura greeted, her hands clasped behind her back, and then she entitled her head slightly to the side. "I'm going home; Tsunade-sama finally allowed me to stop for today."

"Well, hum…didn't you notice this is a dead end?" Lee asked as he scratched the back of his head, and Sakura looked weirdly at him before glancing at the path she had yet to make. Sakura sweatdropped when she noticed that a few meters from her position was a brick wall. "Is there something wrong, Sakura-san?"

"No, of course not, I was just thinking about training and about-"

"Sasuke." Lee finished, as Sakura turned to him, and she looked down at same time the boy lowered his arm. "Sakura-san, I understand that you're worried about him, but you can't allow your worry to guide you to a brick wall."

"I hum…yeah, I guess you're right…" Sakura said, an embarrassed blush covering her cheeks, and Lee chuckled at her behaviour. "It's just that…sometimes, I wish I could understand Sasuke-kun better, you know? I haven't seen him for days, and I'm worried about him…"

"Sakura-san, you know if he needs help, you'll be the first person he'll come to." Lee started, resting a hand on the girl's arm, and Sakura looked at him. "But you also know he's a lone wolf; Sasuke likes to do things alone, and you know that won't change any time soon. I guess…I don't know, I guess all you can do is make sure he knows you're always there for him."

"Arigatou, Lee-san." Sakura thanked after a few moments in silence, and the corner of her lips curled into a small smile, and Lee rose his thumb in his famous 'nice guy' pose. "Thank you for always knowing what to say to make me feel better."

"Eh, what are friends for if not to support each other?" Lee asked, and Sakura smiled at him before raising an eyebrow when she saw the blush covering his tanned cheeks. "Hum…Sakura-san, I-I know this isn't the best time, but hum…since you obviously need a break, I was wondering…I don't know, would you like to go for a walk before going home? Tonight there's no moon, and it will be perfect to watch the stars and all…"

"Sure, Lee-san, I would like that." Sakura said, still smiling, but she giggled when Lee breathed in relieve. "Thank you."

»«»«»«

"Kage Shuriken no Jutsu!"

In silence Kakashi looked up from his book, and watched as Sasuke continued to train on his own, doing his best to go beyond his limit. Every day it was the same thing…every day Kakashi would be late, and would find Sasuke already training on his own, preparing both his mind and body to a battle no one was sure when was going to come.

But everything had become worse when everyone in Konoha found out about Hinata. Sasuke, like many others, took that attack as a warning, and now spent every minute training, never stopping to eat…well, he would not stop to eat if it was not for Kakashi.

With a sigh, Kakashi stared down at his book again, Sasuke's shouts and heavy breathing being the only things breaking the silence of the forest. He knew why Sasuke was training so hard; Kakashi knew it had to do with the mission he had failed to accomplish…

Kakashi knew it had to do with the fact he had lost just like Naruto…

"Sasuke, it's time to go back!" Kakashi spoke suddenly without raising his eye from the book, but he knew that his subordinate was not going to listen to him. Well, at least not until Kakashi made it clear that it was time to return. "Sasuke, stop now. Tomorrow we'll continue."

"I can continue now." Sasuke growled, but when the boy was about to grab various kunais, Kakashi appeared in front of him, still holding his book. "I can continue, I'm not tired. You go back if you want."

"You're my subordinate, and I'm telling you to stop now." Kakashi started in a calm yet determined voice, and Sasuke growled. "The trees aren't going anywhere, so go. Tomorrow we'll meet here, at same hour, and then you can continue with the training."

"Humph, whatever." Sasuke grunted before turning around on his heels, hands stuffed into his pockets, and in silence he walked away.

For a moment Kakashi just watched his student before sighing, and look down at his book again. It seemed that things were not going to end up well, especially with all the youngsters behaving in such negative way. All Kakashi hoped was that at the end Sasuke could understand that sometimes people cannot do things by themselves, especially when they have such incredible friends.

Sighing, Kakashi started going after Sasuke in his usual slow pace, but he suddenly looked to his right. Something was off… Even though he did not stop walking, Kakashi kept staring to his side before shrugging it off, and then he stared down at his book. Yes, things were definitely going to change…"

"My, people are getting stupider." Kakashi muttered as he turned the page, and disappeared through the trees of the forest.

**To Be Continued…**


	11. Darkness in the Rain

**Disclaimer:** I own the unknown characters and the plot.

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I want to thank **city with no people**, **Twin Psychos**, **SGCred**, **Bella-Rose01** _and _**Elder Legend** for everything. Seriously, without you guys, I would be so lost! I would also want to leave here my gratitude towards **ZackTheBloody**, **Silver Apocalypse** _and_ **ArchaicBomber**. Thanks for everything!

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**Chapter 10**

Darkness in the Rain

Slowly Hana opened the door of the cottage, and stared at the sky; grey clouds had already hidden the sun from the earth, and a cold wind was kissing the grass and flowers that covered that small mountain. Leaves were also being carried by the wind, the trees' branches waving from side-to-side as temperature continued to drop.

Looking behind her, Hana saw two medicals studying the huge Nara book, and she pulled a lock of hair behind her ear as she looked outside again. Pressing her book against her chest with her left hand, Hana stepped outside, closing the door behind her. Shikaku was currently taking a rest, and Shikamaru was nowhere to be seen so Hana had decided that she could study a bit. However, since the cottage was already occupied, she guessed it would be better if she studied outside.

Besides, she had spotted a willow tree not too far from the cottage, so Hana guessed she would be fine, and if in the end it started raining, she could always run back to the cottage again. After all, she did not want to be a burden to the family who had decided to help her in exchange of nothing.

Smiling to herself, Hana made her way towards the willow before sitting over a strong root, her back leaned against the tree's trunk. Raising her knees, Hana rested her book on her legs before opening it in the middle, her eyes immediately finding the black words. She truly loved that book…she loved everything that was written on it…

"Tsk, what are you doing here with this weather?" a voice asked suddenly, and Hana jumped in surprise, making the book fall off her lap, and she suddenly looked up. "Man, didn't you notice that it's about to rain? This is so troublesome, you know?"

"Hum…Shikamaru-san, you're here too." Hana pointed out as she bent down in order to grab her book, but when the boy sighed she looked at the branch just above her position. "I mean, shouldn't you take your own advice?"

"Ah, this is such a drag…" Shikamaru replied, and Hana blinked as she watched him rest his hands behind his neck as he stared at the sky. "Every cloud deserves to be watched, but hey, I thought you were mad at me."

"I…I was not mad at you." Hana said after a few moments as she run her fingers through the dark green cover of her book before opening it. "I just think you shouldn't say you're a nobody when someone is always there for you. I mean…Chouji is your best friend, he looks up at you, and personally I dare to say he looks at you more like a brother rather than a friend. I just…I just thought that was enough for you to see that you're not a nobody."

"Tsk, man you didn't understand anything, did ya?" Shikamaru asked suddenly, but before Hana could look up, he jumped from the branch, landing on his feet beside her, his hands now resting on his hips. "People look at me as if I'm a genius when I'm nothing like that. I'm just a cloud-loving, lazy ass kind of guy."

"I think you think too low of yourself." Hana whispered, before blushing slightly when Shikamaru stared at her with an eyebrow raised. "I-I mean, I don't know you, but Chouji…he keeps telling me things about you, and err…that's what I think."

"Tsk, this is such a drag." Shikamaru finally muttered before leaning against the tree's trunk, his arms folded behind his head, and Hana stared down, still feeling blood rushing to her cheeks. "Why does Chouji have to be so troublesome?"

"Someone has to be." Hana spoke before she could stop herself, but she looked up when a cold drop hit her hand. "I think it's going to start raining soon." then, before she could even understand what she was doing, Hana closed her book and touched it with the tip of her finger. "Mizu Hogo…"

A bright colour surrounded the thick book, and moments later a shield made of water was surrounding the book. Smiling happily to herself, Hana touched the shield before turning to Shikamaru, who stared at her with a questioning look.

"Oh err…just something my father taught me…" Hana tried to explain, but Shikamaru just continued to stare at her. "I err…I can't do much more though, I'm not good at jutsus, I err…"

"Man, stop stuttering." Shikamaru interrupted suddenly, and Hana looked down, blushing in embarrassment; she truly felt stupid in his presence. "I was looking at you because I had never seen that jutsu. Gee, stop being so troublesome…"

"I err…gomen ne." Hana whispered as she stared down at the book, and Shikamaru sighed at her behaviour before staring up at the clouds again. Slowly more raindrops started falling, but thankfully the tree's branches would protect them for a while. "I…Shikamaru-san…"

"Huh?"

"I hum…I just wanted to thank you for spending these past days with me." Hana said as she continued to stare at the book, "I hum…I hope I wasn't a burden, but I just wanted to ask if you could…Shikaku-san has helped me a lot in the medical department, but I was wondering if you…if you could help me with my jutsus…"

"You should have asked that sooner." Shikamaru commented suddenly, and Hana looked at him, blush still covering her cheeks. "Man, this is going to suck, because we're leaving tomorrow. I can't teach you that stuff in one day, specially with this troublesome weather."

"I…I understand." Hana whispered, before looking up when rain started falling harder, the two of them barely getting wet thanks to the long and curvy branches of the tree. "Do you think we should go back?"

"Nah, too troublesome, and it would be such a drag if we got sick now." Shikamaru replied with a small shrug, and Hana looked at him, but before something could be said a noise made the two of them look up.

And Hana could not help but gasp when her brown eyes meet the black figure of a panther with bloodthirsty black eyes.

»«»«»«

"The weather sure is strange today." Jiraiya commented as he stared through one of the windows in Tsunade's office, his arms pressed against his chest. "Have you heard from Kakashi? I couldn't find Sasuke, so I take those two are training somewhere?"

"Hai, but Kakashi knows about this meeting." Tsunade answered from her seat behind the desk, her eyes locked with a document. "Of course that the urgency of it won't make him come any sooner, so I guess all we can do is take a break."

"I was told he went to visit our favourite tsunami." Jiraiya commented, turning to his side, but Tsunade simply signed the document before putting it over a huge pile. "And I take it that he returned alone."

"Hai, but that was expected." Tsunade commented before glancing at the man as she turned her chair around, and then she rested her head on her hand. "Of course that having you behaving like a pervert around her didn't exactly help Kakashi to convince her to come."

"Ah, I did nothing, don't blame me for her having the perfect body for my film." Jiraiya stated, and Tsunade rolled her eyes. "And Kakashi is to blame too, he should have never allowed her to go away the way she did."

"Don't behave all innocent, she was twenty for heavens sake, and a lot had happened on that year." Tsunade started, and Jiraiya sighed sadly. "For her, Kakashi and everybody else. You were the one who just had to start writing your books, and actually think about a film that's only going to go to the cinema this year."

"Dear Tsunade, I didn't know you were interested in my doings." Jiraiya stated, and Tsunade raised an eyebrow when he started laughing wickedly. "You know, with your body, you can make part of my film anytime."

"Pervert!" Tsunade shouted, and before Jiraiya knew it, she had grabbed him by the collar, and thrown him to the furthest wall. As a consequence, Jiraiya fell on the ground, leaving a huge hole on the hall. "See? This is exactly why no one takes you seriously! Baka!"

"Tsunade-sama?" a voice called-out, and Tsunade looked at the now open door of her office, only to see Shizune staring at the unconscious Jiraiya before turning to her. "Err…what happened here?"

"Nothing worth knowing; what happened?" Tsunade asked, sitting on her seat again, and Shizune bowed before walking inside, closing the door behind her. "What happened this time?"

"I was just informed, and Tsunade-sama, there was…"

"Oi!" a voice greeted suddenly, and the two women saw Kakashi emerging from a cloud of smoke just beside Jiraiya, his attention focused on the book he was holding. "I'm terribly sorry for being late, but Sasuke…"

"You're here, that's what matters." Tsunade interrupted sharply, and Kakashi sighed before looking up at same time he put his book on his pocket. "Shizune, what happened?"

"There was another attack!" Shizune exclaimed, and everyone stared at her at same time Jiraiya stood up from the ground, holding his head. "It was Nara Shikamaru and Fuzen Hana, and Tsunade-sama it was…it was another panther."

"What? Where's that girl I told ANBU to watch over?" Tsunade asked as she stood up from her chair, her hands resting on her desk, "And how on earth were they attacked? They're not even in Konoha. Where are they?"

"A team of medical-nin is bringing them as we speak." Shizune started, "As for the girl, she's still being guarded by the ANBU team. I went to check that myself before coming here, but Tsunade-sama, this time…according to the report I just got, this time they tried to fight back, and Shikamaru's condition is worrying."

"I want to see that girl immediately!" Tsunade shouted, and Shizune bowed before running out of the office, leaving the two Sannin and Kakashi behind, surrounded by an uncomfortable silence. "What the hell is going on in here? They shouldn't have been attacked! Not with that girl locked up in a cell!"

"I take it you're talking about the girl Kiba mentioned." Kakashi commented suddenly, and Tsunade nodded. "So, did you get any information from her? Who's she?"

"She claims to belong to the Anei family." both Jiraiya and Kakashi narrowed their eyes at this. "I told her it's impossible, but she also declares that she carries a mark that was made by Orochimaru. I saw the mark, it looks nothing like Sasuke's, and yet…"

"Do you believe she's from that clan?" Jiraiya asked suddenly. "Six years ago it was told that the last member of the Anei clan died of a strange disease; no one ever dared to believe that there was a survivor."

"That's because everyone forgot about the descendents." a female voice commented, and everyone stared at the door only to see a black haired girl there, in the middle of four elements of an ANBU team. "Am I still in your black list, Hokage-sama?"

"How did you attack them?" Tsunade questioned, as she walked around her desk, and approached the girl. "How did you manage to attack them when you were locked up in a cell, with explosive tags all over you and ANBU watching your every move?"

"Gee, I knew that Konoha people were slow, but I never thought you were this slow." Suki commented, and Tsunade twitched as she clenched her fist, but before she could even move an inch, Jiraiya and Kakashi appeared beside her. "Is it that hard to believe I had nothing to do with whatever happened?"

"Show us your mark." Kakashi spoke suddenly, in a determined tone, and Suki sighed before rolling her jacket and top, revealing her side, and Kakashi stared down at the mark with the form of claw scratches. "Are you really a member of the Anei clan?"

"Honestly, would I lie knowing that you were going to lock me up?" Suki questioned before staring at Tsunade, the four ANBU still surrounding her. "I didn't do anything, in fact I didn't come here to be your enemy. I came here to ask for help, but you people just love to jump to conclusions."

"If you were here to ask for help, why didn't you say so?" Tsunade asked, but she twitched again when the girl smirked as she stared back at her.

"You were the one who said I was a suspect and that you would personally throw me to the most degraded cell you could find." Suki stated, and Tsunade started trembling as she tried hard to control herself. "You never actually gave me the time to tell you my story."

"Fine, talk." Tsunade started, but the girl shook her head as she closed her eyes for a moment. "What? Now that I actually want to hear you, you dare to stay quiet?"

"That's not the problem." Suki started as she gazed at Tsunade, before glancing at Kakashi and Jiraiya, and a thunder was heard outside. "The problem is that it's already too late for you to hear me, and it's too late for me to make you believe in me."

»«»«»«

Tiptoeing, Naruto did his best not to make any noise as he continued with his secret mission. Gazing around him, Naruto jumped from a door to a hall, and after making sure no one was around him, he continue with his silent walk. Tsunade had not given him the permission for him to be there, but Naruto did not care; he needed to make sure his friend was alright, even if that meant breaking some rules.

Besides, it was not as if he was not used to break rules.

With a chuckle Naruto smiled victoriously when he reached for the door that lead to the room where Hinata was. Without even bothering to knock, Naruto turned the doorknob around, and pushed the door before walking inside the room. Almost immediately, his eyes meet a pair of pale lavender ones with white pupils, and for some unknown reason, Naruto felt his heart swell with happiness.

"Hinata, you're alright!" Naruto shouted happily, forgetting that he was supposed not to make any noise, and after closing the door behind him, he run to the bed. "How are you feeling? I came here yesterday, but Tsunade-obasan didn't allow me to see you."

"Na-Naruto-kun, w-what are you do-doing here?" Hinata asked, blush covering her cheeks as Naruto scratched the back of his head, a wide grin on his face. "I-I didn't know you had come here y-yesterday."

"Well yeah, but shhh, I'm not supposed to be here right now." Naruto said as he sat down on the small bench beside the bed, but he blinked when he noticed Hinata going red. "Err, are you okay? You look like a tomato, Hinata."

"H-hai, I'm fine." Hinata stuttered, looking down, but after a deep breath she looked at the boy again. "If you're not s-supposed to be here, w-why did you come, Naruto-kun? Y-you can get in trouble."

"Ah, it's not as if I'm not used to that." Naruto commented in his usual vivacious attitude, and Hinata could not help but smile slightly at his behaviour, blush still covering her face. "Besides, you're my friend, and I was really worried when Shino told me you had been attacked."

"Y-you w-were?" Hinata asked, a mask of surprise on her face, and Naruto stared at her for a moment before shrugging.

"Sure. I mean, you're really a nice friend, and you know I like to see my friends well and stuff." the boy started calmly, and Hinata flushed at his words. "Besides, lately you aren't that dark and shy girl…I think you're really changing, Hinata."

"R-really?"

"Yeah, it's cool to see you loosing up a bit, even around Neji." Naruto said, grinning widely, and Hinata looked down. Then, before Naruto could stop himself, he rested a hand on the girl's shoulder, making her look at him, eyes widened. "You're a very cool person, Hinata, and I like people like you."

"Na-Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered, and Naruto smiled at her before yelping when the girl fell backwards, eyes closed.

"Eh? Hinata!" Naruto shouted as he grabbed the girl by the arms, but he blinked when he saw she had just fainted. Slowly, Naruto laid Hinata down, and scratched the back of his head in confusion; why did she always had to faint when around him? That was so confusing… "Err, Hinata, are you alright?"

Gently, Naruto shook the girl, who stirred moments later before allowing her eyelids to flutter open, revealing her pale eyes. Blush immediately started covering the girl's cheeks before spreading to the rest of her face, and Naruto blinked in confusion again when he noticed she was staring everywhere except at him.

"Hum, Hinata, if you want, I can just go…" Naruto started, now feeling uncomfortable. He just did not understand women. Had he said something wrong? Personally, he did not think he had, but Naruto was slowly starting to agree with Shikamaru; women were just too troublesome…

"Iie, gomen ne, Naruto-kun, I-I didn't mean t-to faint like that." Hinata whispered before glancing at the boy by the corner of her eyes, but she quickly looked down when their eyes meet. "I-I just don't want you t-to be punished f-for being here. I-I'm fine, and err…I thank you for v-visiting me, but…"

"I told you Hinata, forget about me getting into trouble for visiting you, I told you it's fine." Naruto interrupted, and suddenly a thunder echoed through the room, making Hinata jump in surprise. "Ah man, I think it's going to start raining, and I didn't bring any umbrella!"

"Anou, I-I guess you c-could wait h-here…" Hinata commented in a quiet tone of voice, and Naruto turned to her, ready to speak when lightning brought more light into the room, but along with it, something reached Hinata's bed.

A very strange shadow…

Slowly, Naruto gazed at the window on the opposite side of where he was, and his eyes widened when he saw a pair of grey eyes staring back at him. Ferocious eyes that seemed to scream for blood… Quicker than a blink, Naruto stood up from the bench, Hinata staring confusedly at him until she turned to the window, and then she gasped.

"What the hell is that?" Naruto asked before noticing that Hinata was shivering, her eyes locked with the animal just outside the window, and then he turned to her. "Hinata, calm down, the window is closed, its not going to get inside."

"Na-Naruto-kun, tha-that's the animal that at-attacked me!" Hinata exclaimed as she continued to shiver, her eyes locked with the black panther, and Naruto stared at the animal again, an angry look on his face.

"Well, it's not going to get in!" Naruto shouted, but he still grabbed a kunai, ready to strike if the animal managed to get inside through some odd way. "There's no way I'm going to let you get hurt again."

"N-Naruto-kun…"

"C'mon Hinata, trust in me." Naruto said, but it was then that the door behind him fell, making the two young adults spun around only to face a second panther with bloodthirsty red eyes. This one, immediately growled when it looked from Naruto to Hinata, and the boy immediately turned to his side, his arm raised in order to prevent the panther from attacking Hinata.

"Hell, how many are they?" Naruto shouted as he rose his kunai so that the weapon was in front of his chin, and the panther growled again before hissing in danger. Noticing that the panther was still on the same spot, Naruto dared to glance at Hinata over his shoulder. "Don't move, alright? I'm going to protect you."

"B-but Naruto-kun…" Hinata started before glancing at the animal, and her eyes widened in horror and panic. "Naruto-kun!"

As he spun around, Naruto only had time to see the panther jumping towards him, and as a reaction the boy crossed his arms in front of his face. Closing his eyes, Naruto waited for the impact; he was not going to allow Hinata to get hurt!

However, instead of an impact, Naruto heard the sound of someone hitting something hard, and when he opened his eyes he saw the panther in mid-air, its face inches away from him. How on earth it was possible for the animal to be standing in the middle of the air was completely beyond Naruto's comprehension, but he still gave one step backwards, hitting the bed where Hinata was.

"What in the world…?"

"Tsk, I bet you're Uzumaki Naruto." a voice commented suddenly, and both Naruto and Hinata stared at the entrance of the room in confusion. Footsteps could be heard, and deciding it was better to play it safe, Naruto continued to hold the kunai; the panther, on the other hand, was still in mid-air. "I'm sure you're Hatake's subordinated, for you to start the party without everyone being present."

Slowly a woman appeared at the door, a hand resting on her hips, and Naruto immediately knew he had never seen her before; besides he was positive he would remember someone with such outfit. The woman was wearing a black sleeveless tank top, zipped up to her neck, but it was kind of easy to spot the dark green tank top she was wearing underneath. Along with it she was wearing tight fitting black biker type shorts, and just like all ninja she was wearing the common black ninja-shoes.

Slowly the woman rose her right hand, protected by a leather glove, and put a teal coloured streak away. Her left hand, also protected by a matching glove, was on the air, turned to the panther. Then, as she smirked, the woman gazed at Naruto, who blinked when he saw that her right eye was cerulean coloured and her left one was of a deep jade colour.

"So, am I wrong?" the woman asked suddenly, never lowering her left hand, and Naruto blinked at her question. "You are Uzumaki Naruto, ne? And by the colour of her eyes, I take it that that girl is the heiress of the Hyuuga clan."

"Who the heck are you?" Naruto asked, still holding the kunai though his hand was still on his side, and then he motioned to the panther with his head. "How on earth did you do that?"

"I think people often call me tsunami, even though my jutsus have no connection with water." the woman started, still smirking, and Naruto blinked at her words. "My name is Mesi, and I'm here to kick some butts, starting with your sensei's, Hatake Kakashi."

**To Be Continued…**


	12. Disturbs of the Past

**Disclaimer:** I own the unknown characters and the plot, nothing else.

»«»«»«

I want to thank to **Jojibear**, **olliebird113**, **city with no people** _and_ **BellaRose01** for always telling me what you guys think of this fic. I also want to leave here my gratitude towards **Mad Merlin** _and _**Black-Rogue-Fairy**. Thanks for everything guys!!!

»«»«»«

**Chapter 11**

Disturbs of the Past

In silence, Sasuke pressed his arms against his chest, his eyes staring at the group that had gathered in a matter of minutes in that hospital room. Tsunade was there along with Jiraiya and Kakashi; then there was Sakura, Lee, Kiba (surprisingly without Akamaru, but Sasuke knew it was due to the dog's size), Naruto and Hinata, who was still lying on her bed.

And then there were the two girls who made Sasuke's suspicion grow at every new second. The first one was a girl, probably as old as him, with black hair and carmine eyes; he could swear he had seen her somewhere, but it was as if his mind was not allowing him to recognize her. The second one was a woman, probably as old as Kakashi, with teal coloured hair. The last one was leaned against a wall, her arms pressed against her chest, while her head was bent downwards so that no one could see her eyes.

"So, you were the one who captured this?" Tsunade questioned as she stared at the panther who was still frozen in mid-air, but when no answer was given, she stared at the woman with teal coloured hair. "How did you do it?"

"There's something commonly called 'air', you know?" the other woman finally answered, looking up and revealing her coloured eyes. "And there's something generally named 'ninjutsu'. I'm sure you're acquainted with both terms."

"And I can see you still like to be a show-off." Tsunade pointed out, but the other woman just grunted at her. "How long can you keep it here?"

"How long are you going to take until you call someone who can take that animal away from here?" the woman asked back, and Tsunade sighed but before she could answer, Suki stepped forward, her eyes locked with the black panther.

"Actually, its safe for you to let her come down." Suki commented suddenly, never looking away from the animal, and everyone stared at her as if she was crazy while Sasuke watched the girl with interest. "She's no longer a beast, but a scared animal."

"That looks scared to you?" Kiba questioned suddenly, gazing at the black panther before staring at Suki. "You're a crazy girl, you know that?"

"And I guess you're not as respectful as I thought for you not to notice that she's no longer a menace to us." Suki retorted calmly, and Kiba growled at her retort. Then, Suki glanced at Mesi. "Please, put her down."

"Hey, don't put it down!" Naruto exclaimed suddenly, and everyone saw Hinata holding her legs while the blond was standing next to her. "Don't forget that are people here that were already attacked, and would prefer _not_ to be around that thing!"

"Na-Naruto-kun, i-it's al-alright." Hinata stuttered as she looked at the blond, a soft blush on her cheeks, and Naruto stared down at her, along with everyone, and Sasuke smirked when he saw the girl shivering. So, she was trying to behave all courageous because Naruto was there…

"If the panther decided to attack we have two Sannin here, and one Jounin, I doubt the panther would be able to move an inch without getting killed." Suki pointed-out suddenly, and everyone stared at Mesi who simply waved her left hand in the air.

Everyone watched the black panther fall slowly to the ground, on its feet, but as soon as they heard it growl, everyone grabbed a weapon. Everyone except for Sasuke, who was far more interested in watching Suki approaching the animal while Hinata shifted closer to Naruto, who failed to notice her movement.

From his position, Sasuke watched Suki bend down on her knees, her eyes locked with the panther, that slowly turned its head to her, but not before looking at Naruto. Then, something strange happened; Sasuke saw Suki's eyes become silver for a moment, but it was quicker than a blink. And then, for everyone's surprise, the panther went to her as calm as if it was a scared cub.

"Man, how on earth did you do that?" Kiba questioned suddenly as Suki cuddled the animal on the head, and Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he watched the girl continued to cuddle the panther's head and ears.

"Being you the owner of a beast, you should know the answer to that question." Suki retorted without looking up, "Unless, of course, you use more your muscles rather than your brains and emotions."

"Why, you…?"

"That's enough!" Tsunade spoke suddenly, and everyone looked at her. "I want that animal away from this room, and you have a lot to explain." she added, staring at Suki, who said nothing and stared at the panther. However, as soon as those words left the Hokage's lips, an ANBU team appeared from out-of-nowhere. "Take that panther to Hana, I'm sure she'll know what to do."

"Err? My sister?" Kiba asked, but instead of replying the ANBU team just nodded, and turned to the panther. Then, before someone could say something, one of the members grabbed the animal by the back of its neck, and then all of them disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Now, you better start talking, and you also have a lot to tell us." Tsunade finished, glancing from Suki to Mesi, but none of the females answered her back while everyone else waited for something to be said.

»«»«»«

With a tired sigh, Shizune opened the door of the room where Shikamaru and Hana bad been sent to right after being treated. Both of them had arrived right on the same moment everyone had been assembled to Hinata's room, and even though she wanted to be there too, Shizune knew that her job was far more important. After all, someone had to make sure everything was alright even though other medicals had informed Shizune that the surgery had been a success.

Quietly, Shizune pushed the door before stepping inside the dark room; the only dim light that was bringing some life to that room was coming through the opening between the curtains. Other than that, that room seemed to have been swallowed by darkness.

Silently Shizune stared at the bed that was closer to the door, which she closed soundless behind her. She had been informed that Shikamaru had been the one who took the most damage from the attack, obviously for trying to protect Hana. Shizune had been informed that Shikamaru had somehow managed to get away mostly with scratches, but there had been two wounds that had scared the medicals; apparently, the panther had managed to bite Shikamaru deeply on the arm before trying to reach out for his neck.

Then, Shizune looked at the bed next to the window. According to the doctors Hana's biggest problem had to do with the bite on her right leg. As for the rest, well, she did have her own scratches. All the doctors just could not help but believe that Shikamaru had indeed tried to protect the girl, which did surprise some of them since Shikamaru described himself as the biggest coward of all his friends.

"Good job, Shikamaru." Shizune whispered as she glanced from Hana to the sleeping boy, and then she wrote something on the papers she had been holding against her chest. "I'm sure Shikaku-san will be very proud of your actions as well as Tsunade-sama."

Smiling to herself, Shizune walked out of the room, and quickly made her way towards the room where everyone else was. She just hoped that she would be allowed to share such happy news to everyone, but due to the circumstances, Shizune was not entirely sure if that would be possible.

As she quickly approached the room where everyone was, Shizune was surprised when she noticed that the door was opened. It seemed that she was not going to be able to tell the good news just yet, but it did not matter; anxiety was starting to grow inside of her, and Shizune now felt as if she needed to know what was going on too.

"You know the story of my clan, so I don't think I need to explain it." Shizune heard someone commented, and when she walked inside she noticed that everyone was staring at the girl Tsunade had arrested. "So, what do you expect me to say when I know you still don't believe in what I told you?"

"Just start talking." Tsunade snapped, but the girl just looked unaffected by the harsh words.

"As you said, and is corrected, the last known member of the Anei clan passed away six years ago." Suki started in a nonchalant tone, looking as if it did not bother her to talk about death. "That member had been used by Orochimaru in one of his experiments in order to find what could offer him eternal life. Unfortunately, or fortunately for some, everyone forgot those who were born from those same experiments. After all, there was also another goal Orochimaru wanted to achieve, which was to have the perfect human that could follow his footsteps."

"That's why he tried to get Sasuke-kun." Sakura spoke suddenly, and Suki smirked at the words before shaking her head, everyone watching her every move.

"He wanted someone who could control the shadows…someone who could bring darkness and gloominess into the world." Suki started, her right hand now resting on her hip. "Since none of the experiments gave him what he wanted, Orochimaru turned to the offspring, but since the children did not have whatever Orochimaru expected, he decided to punish every child and curse every infant."

"What does that have to do with Konoha?" Jiraiya questioned suddenly, his arms against his chest. "What does it have to do with all those villages that were attacked? What did our ninja have to do with what happened?"

"Absolutely nothing, hence the fact I came here to ask for help." Suki started, and everyone stared confusedly at her. "You see, despite of all the torture…despite of all the pain, Orochimaru decided to slip one tiny information before abandoning the children to die, and that information had to do with a certain…" Suki trailed off, her eyes finding Naruto's, "I'm not entirely sure you want me to continue this."

"What did Orochimaru say?" Kakashi asked suddenly, but Suki never took her eyes off Naruto while the corner of her lips curled into a devious smirk. "Whatever it was it's probably the answer to all these attacks."

"He said that only the power of the Kyuubi could save the…leftovers of the failed experiments." Suki finished, and Tsunade, Jiraiya and Kakashi shared a look while everyone else shared puzzled looks.

"That's the err…name of the Nine Tails, ne?" Lee questioned suddenly, looking slightly unsure, but Suki just continued with her tale.

"Few of the children survived, but those who did want to find Kyuubi because they believe that's the only way they have to be free." the girl went on, everyone still watching her closely. "Those who were attacked, suffered due to the believe that such attacks could affect the Kyuubi somehow."

"Err…how do you affect the Nine Tails? In fact, how do you affect something that disappeared?" Kiba questioned suddenly, his hands inside his coat's pockets, but it was then that Tsunade sighed and gave one step forward.

"You should have told me this sooner." the Hokage commented, but she quickly continued when she noticed that Suki was ready to retort. "What about the other villages? Are you saying they were just a diversion?"

"Everyone needs to train somehow." Suki pointed out calmly with a small shrug. "But aside from that, there's nothing else I can tell you. As you can see, they're already inside Konoha so I'm sure their next attack with be swift."

"If you know all this stuff, how do we know you're not one of the bad guys?" Kiba questioned, looking suspiciously at the girl, who stared at him. "I mean, seriously, Akamaru didn't sense any danger in you, but I still don't think we should believe in you."

"Of course, after all, I was the one who did all those attacks even though I was locked in a degraded cell with an ANBU team watching all my movements." Suki said sarcastically. "Oh, and did I forget to mention the explosive tags that surrounded me?"

"That's enough!" Tsunade exclaimed before turning to Shizune, who blinked when she noticed that she was now on the spotlight. "How are Shikamaru and Hana?"

"Shikamaru took most of the blows, but both of them are already resting." Shizune replied, "I'm sure Ino, Chouji and Neji are already half way here, but I still think you should check on them, Tsunade-sama."

"I will, and Sakura is coming with me." Tsunade started, and the pink haired girl nodded when their eyes meet. "Jiraiya, I want you, Kakashi and Mesi to stay with Suki, and for heavens sake don't be a pervert for the first time in your life. Everyone else, I want you out of here."

"Tsunade-basan, can't I stay here?" Naruto asked suddenly before wincing when the Hokage stared at him with a blank expression on her face, even though her eyes were blazing with anger. "I err…I have a good explanation to be here. I hum…hehe…seriously, I do…"

"NARUTO!"

»«»«»«

Everyone was walking in silence through the empty street of the village, but their minds were wondering about the same subject. All of them were thinking about what had been revealed at the hospital, but more importantly about Kyuubi…about how the Nine Tail Fox could actually be disturbed by such incidents when it had been already destroyed.

"Ya know, I think something isn't right." Kiba spoke suddenly, Akamaru now by his side, and everyone looked at him. "I mean, c'mon, that girl's story didn't make any sense. The Kyuubi…tsk, everyone knows that Fox was destroyed by the Fourth Hokage."

"I don't know, she kept mentioning Orochimaru, and I don't think someone is crazy enough to create such story." Lee commented as he continued walking, "I mean, something _is_ off, but still, how do you explain the attacks?"

"That girl said they were a diversion, I bet she's the one causing everything." Kiba retorted, and Akamaru made a strange noise with its throat. "What do you mean it wasn't her? Did you see anyone else around here? I'm sure it was her."

"But Tsunade-sama did say that the girl was in a cell with an ANBU team." Sakura started in a low tone of voice, "And no one could possibly escape from them when locked up in a cell. What do you think, Sasuke-kun?" when nothing answered, Sakura stared at the boy next to her. "Sasuke-kun, is everything alright?"

"It seems to me that Sasuke is daydreaming." Kiba snickered since Sasuke was walking with his eyes opened, but the blank expression did indicate that he was thinking about something else. "Oi, Naruto, what do you think about all this thing about the Kyuubi?"

When there was no answer, everyone looked over their shoulders only to see Naruto staring down, a dark look on his face. For a moment glances were exchanged until Lee sighed, and decided to step to Naruto's side.

"Naruto, if you're thinking about Hinata, I'm sure she's fine." Lee started, resting a hand on his friend's shoulder, but Naruto just continued looking down. "I'm sure she's feeling better now that she knows what's going on."

"The Kyuubi…" Naruto trailed off, and Lee dropped his hand as he continued to watch his friend staring down. "That's what this is all about, ne? The Kyuubi…"

"What on earth is he muttering about?" Kiba questioned, staring at Lee and Naruto, but Lee simply shrugged before shaking the blonde's shoulder. "Naruto, snap out of it, man! We have Sasuke for that!"

"Huh? What?" Naruto asked, finally snapping from his daze, and Kiba sighed before turning around, and continue walking. "I err…what happened?"

"We were asking you what you think about what was told at the hospital." Lee quickly answered, and Naruto looked down again. "So, do you have any idea why that girl mentioned the Kyuubi when everyone knows it was destroyed by the Fourth Hokage?"

"I hum…I don't know." Naruto muttered, and Lee sent him a worried look. "Listen, I err…I'm off. After hearing a lecture from Tsunade-basan one almost goes deaf, so I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Good night!" both Kiba and Lee said, and after a short nod Naruto turned around, and disappeared in the darkness of the night. Sakura, on the meantime, was looking worriedly at Sasuke, whose eyes were slowly being filled by hatred.

Something was wrong, Sakura was positive of it, and the fact Sasuke slowly closed his hands into strong fists only increased her concern. It was not as if she could help it; Orochimaru had been mentioned a lot, and the reason why Sasuke and the others had been attacked had been explained that night. Those were some of the reasons why Sakura could not help but get worried over her old friend and crush.

"What?" Kiba asked suddenly, and Sakura looked to the member of the Inuzuka clan only to see him looking flabbergasted at Akamaru. "Man, you gotta be joking! How can you possibly be taking the girl's side? She was the one who attacked everyone, I'm telling you that!"

"What's Akamaru saying?" Lee questioned as he walked to Kiba's side so that he was between the boy and Sakura, who was still watching them.

"He's saying nonsense." Kiba growled under his breath, and both Lee and Sakura shared a look. "Well, this is my stop, I'll see you guys tomorrow. Until then, be careful with the shadows."

With that, Kiba smirked and nodded in goodbye before turning to his left, and walk away but not before starting other discussion with Akamaru. Sasuke too kept walking, not noticing that Lee and Sakura had stopped their tracks when Kiba had said his goodbye.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called-out, but before she could after him, Lee rested a hand on her shoulder, and made her stay on the same spot. "Lee-san, I have to go see if he needs something. The look on his face…it worries me."

"Sakura-san, sometimes we need to let our friends be." Lee started in a controlled voice, and Sakura turned to him with a confused expression on her face. "It's obvious that Sasuke is trying to remember something. I recall you telling me that Sasuke was the only one who had no memory about the failed mission."

"Well, yes, but with all these attacks going on in Konoha, I just think I should-"

"Leave him alone." Lee finished, and Sakura looked down. "I know you're worried about him, Sakura-san, but I guess Sasuke needs to be alone for now. At least to try to figure out why he doesn't remember anything. Besides, I don't really like the idea of having you wandering around in Konoha at such hour."

"But I…"

"Please, allow me to accompany you home." Lee finished, and Sakura opened her mouth to refuse, but when she glanced at the path Sasuke had chosen to walk away, and notice he was not there, she sighed. "Please, Sakura-san, I would feel better knowing that you're safe."

"Alright." Sakura whispered, and Lee smiled at her when the girl glanced up at him. "Thank you, Lee-san, I don't know what would happen to me if you weren't here."

"I'm sure you would be fine." Lee started, waving a hand in dismiss as the two of them started walking. "Besides, Naruto is also a great friend of yours; if I wasn't here, I'm sure he would keep an eye on you."

"Hai, I guess so." Sakura whispered in agreement, and Lee winked at her.

However, just like Sasuke was lost in his own thoughts, Naruto was lost in the darkness of his small house, his back leaned against the front door. His eyes were staring at the carpet at the entrance, a strange expression on his face, his eyes no longer carrying their usual twinkle.

"The Kyuubi, huh?"

**To Be Continued…**


	13. Reflections of Forgotten Times

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and the unknown characters.

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You know, I'm so honoured to see that out of my twenty fics, this one is now at the top of the one who has more hits that I decided to update it now. And I also want to thank **SGCred**, **kingdom219**, **joveev**, **FreeTheKyuubi**_ and_ **Jojibear** for everything! You guys rock!

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**Chapter 12**

Reflections of Forgotten Times

So, she was being guarded by one Sannin, one Jounin, and one woman. Now that was truly suspicious, especially when you know that an ANBU team could be called to watch over the suspect. And yet it was strange to watch Jiraiya scribbling something on a piece of paper while Kakashi was on the roof reading a book with an orange cover while the woman was just leaned against the wall beside the front door, staring at the sky.

It was rather strange to see such people guarding that small apartment.

But that was not going to stop him. They would not stop him from going inside, and finally get all the answers that he needed to complete the puzzle. And if they ended up daring to step in the middle, he would just have to make them understand the urgency of such actions.

In silence Sasuke stepped out from the shadows, and started going around the apartment; the three adults were guarding the entrance so there was a high possibility for the back to be unprotected. And if that ended up being true, then Sasuke would not help but believe that time had indeed affected Kakashi's senses.

It did not take long for Sasuke to reach to back of the apartment, and the corner of his lips curled into a smirk when he noticed that no one was indeed guarding the window on the back. That definitely proved that sometimes people tend to do the basic and not the most complex things.

Swiftly, Sasuke jumped to the window, and peeked inside only to see Suki sitting on the floor, her legs crossed in Indian-style while her back was turned to him. She seemed to be completely oblivious of things too, but it was only after making sure there was no explosive tag on the window that Sasuke rose his hand.

"Out of ten I give you a seven." a voice commented suddenly, and Sasuke looked up only to growl when his eyes meet one single black one. "Sasuke, she's a suspect, you can't go inside, much less without telling us."

"I have to talk to her." Sasuke grunted, lowering his hand, and Kakashi closed his book before jumping to his subordinate's side. "And there's no way in hell you're going to stop me."

"Sasuke, we have orders that don't allow anyone to go inside, and talk to her." Kakashi started before glancing at the girl through the window. "And that includes you. Whatever you have to tell her, must wait until the investigation is over."

"I don't care about your orders, I have to talk to her now." Sasuke hissed under his breath, a cold expression on his face, but Kakashi shook his head again. "If you don't let me enter, I'll have to use force."

"Hatake, stop being such a git, and let the boy enter." a voice commented suddenly, and the two males looked up only to see Mesi look down at them, Jiraiya standing next to her. "I'll personally take all responsibility about what may happen."

"You can't go against the orders of your Hokage." Kakashi said, and Mesi smirked before jumping to his side, her hand resting on her hip at same time she shook her head.

"Don't forget, _dear_, that I don't care about what the Hokage says." Mesi said, stressing the word 'dear' on purpose and to reveal her sarcasm. "As long as they don't kill each other, it's fine. Besides, what can a boy like him want from a girl like her?"

"Still, I-"

"Jiraiya, I'll take full responsibility about whatever may happen next." Mesi interrupted Kakashi deliberately at same time she looked at the older man, who nodded in agreement. "Go inside, but I want you to stay two meters away from her, or I'll make you step back."

"Yeah, whatever." Sasuke muttered under his breath before opening the window, and jump inside the small room, but it was then that he noticed that Suki was already staring at him. "You have a lot to explain."

"It seems that I haven't done anything else rather than explaining things lately." Suki retorted, and Sasuke growled as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, and the girl turned to him after standing up. "But let me guess, you want to figure out what happened during your mission."

"And why on earth I lost to a girl like you."

"Ah yes, of course, the eternal situation that no man likes to go through." Suki stated with a smirk, and Sasuke narrowed her eyes at her indifferent tone. "So, what do you want to know? Why you were attacked or why you lost to a girl?"

"Both."

"Yes, of course you want to know both, so I'll start with the latest." Suki started, her left hand resting on her hip. "As we all know our body has vital points, and despite the fact you think your unbeatable you have those same vital points. All that happened to you was that you suffered a full-power attack in your forehead."

"What?" Sasuke hissed not really believing in what he was listening to. His forehead? That could not be possible, he refused to believe he had lost just because someone had touched his forehead.

"Yeah, pretty amazing, isn't it?" Suki questioned with a small chuckle. "Of course that if you had suffered a light impact all you would have felt was a sharp pain, but since I needed to take you away from that place before you died…"

"You had to do nothing!" Sasuke hissed suddenly, his angry eyes meeting Suki's, and the girl raised an eyebrow. "I never asked for your help, you had no motive to interrupt my fight."

"Oh, of course, don't worry, next time I'll let you get killed." Suki replied with sarcasm, and Sasuke closed his right hand into a strong fist. "I heard that you were a proud boy, but I never thought you were stupid too. I guess it's true what they say; that there is a thin line between astuteness and madness."

"Why you…!" Sasuke rose his fist, anger obviously growing in the depths of his eyes, but Suki just kept staring at him. He just could not help it, anger was starting to consume his flesh. "Why can't I remember anything?"

"I think that has to do with yourself." Suki pointed out, not looking affected by the deadly way Sasuke was staring at her. "I guess you just don't want to admit that you needed a girl to save your ass, and your mind decided to block that event."

"Why you…" Sasuke advanced towards the girl, his fist up in the air, but when he was about to attack, he found himself slamming against an invisible wall. "What the hell is going on in here?"

"I warned you about not getting close to her." a voice commented suddenly, and Sasuke stared angrily at the window only to see both Mesi and Kakashi there. "I guess its time for you to leave, Sasuke, before I'm forced to let Hatake take the lead."

"This is not over." Sasuke hissed to Suki, who simply stared at him, and in anger Sasuke walked towards the window before jumping from it, and he started walking away not looking at anybody. He just could not believe he had lost because a girl had touched his forehead! What the hell was wrong with him? He had never been so weak!

Looking up from the ground, Sasuke closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He was not going to lose to Naruto. He was not going to be weaker than Naruto. Suddenly, Sasuke opened his eyes, revealing his Sharingan, and then he closed both his hands into strong fists, anger consuming his limbs.

He was not going to be the weakling.

»«»«»«

"Ah, I always told you, you would end doing something stupid!" Ino shouted suddenly, punching Shikamaru on his good arm, but the boy still winced in pain. "What the hell were you thinking, trying to face a panther? Man, what are you? A baka? We have Naruto for that!"

"Ino, stop hitting me." Shikamaru muttered as he sighed. "Man, this is so troublesome. If you came here just to yell at me, you could have not come to visit me at all."

"What? You're complaining?" Ino asked before pointing to the jar of water on the bedside table next to Shikamaru's bed. "I even brought you flowers. You really shouldn't be complaining you know?"

"Oi, Chouji, why did you bring her with you?" Shikamaru asked as he turned to the bed next to his, where his team mate was, talking to Hana while eating a bunch of potatoes chips. "Man, this sucks…"

"Sorry, Shikamaru, but she told me she wanted to come, and you know how Ino is." Chouji replied with a small shrug before grabbing a hand full of chips, and Shikamaru sighed before glancing at Hana, who was trying not to laugh.

"Tsk, troublesome…"

"Ino. Chouji." a determined voice called-out suddenly, and everyone stared at the door of the room only to see Tsunade and Shizune there, a strange look on their faces. "Visitors are no longer allowed; we have to check on these two. Please, return tomorrow."

"Hai, hai." Ino muttered as she straightened up, but then she turned to Shikamaru and winked at him at same time she smiled. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do, alright? And remember, forget about being a gentleman, and Chouji here will run over you with his Human Boulder Jutsu."

"You betcha!" Chouji exclaimed as he also stood up, and the two friends shared a look when they saw Hana blushing brightly while Shikamaru muttered 'troublesome', even though a faint pink colour was on his cheeks.

"Bye-bye!" Ino said as she waved, still smiling, but none of the two young adults sitting on their beds said anything in return; Tsunade and Shizune, on the other hand, shared a knowing look before walking inside.

"So, Shikamaru, I was informed that you were the hero of the day." Tsunade commented while Shizune closed the door of the room, but Shikamaru just tsk'ed at her words. "And you have the wounds to prove it."

"I did nothing."

"Of course you didn't." Tsunade retorted, and Shikamaru scoffed when he understood she was being sarcastic. "Hana, your wounds are healing very well, but you will need to use a crutch during a couple of days."

"Hai." Hana said, glancing up at the Hokage while Shizune wrote some notes on the papers she was holding. "Hum…Hokage-sama, d-did the medicals bring my book when they took us here?"

"Your book?" Tsunade repeated, and Hana nodded. "No, I didn't see any book, but you can always return there, to search for it." Hana nodded again, and the Hokage turned to Shikamaru. "Now you're a different story, you have to stay here because of the wound on your neck, and because you need to inform me about what happened."

"Tsk, nothing, a panther simply attacked us all of a sudden." Shikamaru retorted, trying to raise his hands to put them behind his neck, but he winced when pain shot from his arm. "There's nothing else to say, but I'll fill the report right away if you want."

"I want you to recover." Tsunade spoke immediately, "Did you see anyone close to you when the panther appeared? Did you sense anyone?"

"No." Shikamaru answered shortly, and both Tsunade and Shizune shared a look before nodding. "Man, this is such a drag, you really shouldn't keep things from people, especially those who give a damn about what's happening."

"I'll tell Sakura to fill you in when she comes to change your bandages." Tsunade said, and Shikamaru tsk'ed again before nodding. "Until then, try to rest. Your help may be needed soon, and I want both of you fully healed until then."

Without adding more information, Tsunade turned around, and walked away from the room while Shizune bowed in goodbye. Then, in silence, she followed the Hokage, quickly closing the door behind her.

"They sure are troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered under his breath, but a small chuckle made him turn to Hana, only to notice she was staring through the open windows beside her bed. "It sucks to be here, doesn't it?"

"I'm not used to be the one being taken cared of, if that's what you mean." Hana spoke finally looking away from the window to gaze at the boy, and then she put a lock of wild hair behind her ear. "But I should be the one asking you that."

"Tsk, I'm fine." Shikamaru replied, gazing down at his bandaged arm, and then he sighed. "Man, this sucks, but hey, tell me, are you really that worried about the book? I remember you holding it when the panther appeared."

"I err…" Hana blushed at the words, and Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her behaviour. "It was hum…a reflex, I'm not good with jutsus, heck, I'm not even a good ninja, and err…I really wanted to help, but I didn't know what to do."

"Holding onto a book doesn't seem a smart thing to me."

"I-I didn't mean to." Hana whispered, and Shikamaru sighed when she looked down, blush still covering her pale cheeks. "I really wanted to help you, b-but you're a Chunnin, and I…err, I can't really do anything."

"Man, stop being so troublesome." Shikamaru interrupted, and Hana looked at him, though still embarrassed. "No one is weak; heck, if even Naruto managed to do something right, I'm sure you'll be fine. Besides, you're a medical-nin."

"I…" Hana blinked, and Shikamaru looked away. "A-are you going to help me?"

"Anything to stop you from being so troublesome."

On the meantime Naruto was sitting on his bed, his knees pressed against his chest while the soft breeze that was entering through the window beside him played with his blond locks. His eyes, usually sparkling with joy, revealed how lost the boy was in his own thoughts. How lost the boy was in the memories of the events of the previous night…

"_He said that only the power of the Kyuubi could save the…leftovers of the failed experiments." _

"_Few of the children survived, but those who did, want to find Kyuubi because they believe that's the only way they have to be free. Those who were attacked, suffered due to the believe that such attacks could affect the Kyuubi somehow."_

"The Kyuubi…" Naruto muttered to himself, not really noticing when he rose a finger and started rubbing the whiskers on his right cheek. "All they want is the Kyuubi…"

During his time at home, Naruto had done what would probably would surprise most people; he had actually thought and meditated about what had happened. About the fact Orochimaru had annihilated a whole clan just for fun, the fact a small group of people believed that the Kyuubi could offer them the freedom they wanted…

"It's always about the Kyuubi…"

Yes, everyone that had been attacked; Sasuke, Shikamaru, Hana…Hinata…all of them had suffered because whoever their enemies were wanted to affect him. All his friends were suffering because of what existed inside of him.

"Oi, Naruto!" a voice exclaimed suddenly, and the boy snapped from his thoughts as he glanced through the window only to see Jiraiya there, standing up thanks to the roof. "What on earth are you doing looking so depressed?"

"Ero-sennin…" Naruto muttered, and Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at same time he pressed his arms against his chest, and the boy looked at his knees again. "Why…why do my friends have to suffer over something I have no control off?"

"You're not to be blamed for what Suki said." Jiraiya started, but Naruto did not look at him. "The survivors of the Anei clan are simply lost, and they merely decided to hold the only explanation that was ever given to them. I believe that your biggest problem now is your friends, who heard the story that involved the Kyuubi."

"You…you think I should tell them?" Naruto asked suddenly, but Jiraiya just stared at him. "They'll run away, which I won't held against them, but…to see them leaving me…"

"They're not going to leave you, Naruto." Jiraiya started calmly, and slowly the boy glance at him again. "All of them are your true friends; look at Tsunade, Kakashi and everyone else for instance. We all know what you have inside of you, and yet we still nag you everyday. Don't assume that your friends will react the same way as the rest of the village did; you may be surprised."

"I don't know if I'm capable of telling them about it." Naruto confessed, and Jiraiya sighed. "I-I mean, there must be a way of helping them, without telling them the real reason."

"Naruto, I'm sorry, but…you noticed that Suki did look at you when she mentioned the Kyuubi." Jiraiya started, and Naruto opened his eyes wide in surprise

"_I'm not entirely sure you want me to continue this."_

"She knows!"

"I'm afraid so, but I believe it has to do with Orochimaru." Jiraiya pointed it out, and Naruto stared at him. "I think Orochimaru is using the survivors as a diversion in order to get closer to Konoha…closer to you."

"You think…he wants to attack Konoha?" Naruto asked, straightening his legs, and Jiraiya stepped closer to the window before shaking his head. "Then, what?"

"I think he wants to know the weak and strong points of Konoha, and _your_ weak and strong points." Jiraiya started before shrugging. "Why, I have no idea, but I guess it probably involves girls. After all, all girls in Konoha are just so hot these days."

"I really doubt Orochimaru would be interested in girls, Ero-sennin, that's your excuse to be here." Naruto sweatdropped, and Jiraiya laughed mischievously making the boy sigh at his behaviour. "What do you think we should do then?"

"Like I said, I think it's time for you to be honest with your friends." Jiraiya answered, quickly returning to his serious tone, and Naruto looked down. "After all, its best for them to know about Kyuubi by you rather by some stranger that's trying to kill you."

"Tell them…" Naruto whispered, as he continued to stare at his legs.

**To Be Continued…**


	14. Waves of Truth

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and the unknown characters.

»«»«»«

I want to thank to **city with no people**, **BelleRose**, **Daniel of Lorien**, **Twin Psychos** _and _**truthorpurple** for everything!!! I must also inform you that I finished this fic on the first day of March, which means that this will probably end this month. Until then, I hope you enjoy this!

»«»«»«

**Chapter 13**

Waves of Truth

Silence continued to rule the office.

Tsunade was just busy studying some reports, Shizune handing her a few more while observing them too. Kakashi was also there, outside, sitting on the red roof, reading his book while Mesi was inside, leaned against the wall with her arms crossed against her chest. However, even though all of them were lost in their own works, it was also true that their minds were swirling around the same subject and questions.

"I wonder if Jiraiya-sama managed to talk to Naruto." Shizune commented suddenly as she put a pile of papers aside, and Tsunade glanced at her before sighing. "I mean…I wonder what's going to happen now."

"Jiraiya may be a sick pervert, but thankfully he knows when he has to be serious." Tsunade retorted as she glanced down at the paper she was holding. "The two of them will end up knowing what to do, I'm sure of that, but before that we have another thing to take care of."

"Took you long enough." Mesi commented suddenly without looking up, but she could sense Tsunade's eyes on her. "Like I said before, I took full responsibility about what could happen."

"Even so, it was irresponsible to allow them to be alone." Tsunade answered back, and slowly Mesi stared at her. "No matter what element you can use, to leave Sasuke alone with Suki could have lead to serious implications."

"It seems to me that nothing happened."

"But according to Kakashi it could have happened." Tsunade replied, a hint of anger in her voice, and Mesi rolled her eyes. "You're a Jounin, you should know better than allowing a subordinate to visit a suspect."

"I would probably follow that rule if I actually gave a damn about what you want to see the Konoha Jounin doing, but since I no longer care …" Mesi trailed off, before staring at the window. "And Hatake is just being the idiotic pervert he likes to be, because he too stood by the window, watching what was happening."

"Mesi, you are still a Jounin from Konoha, that headband proves that much." Tsunade started, glancing at the headband around the woman's right upper arm. "You cannot say those things."

"Yes, of course, because everyone without a headband can actually enter in villages without problems." Mesi retorted sarcastically, and Tsunade sighed. "You know I stopped having any kind of connection with this village – or any other for that matter – along time ago."

"Then, mind tell me what on earth are you doing here?" Tsunade questioned, resting her chin on her entwined fingers at same time Shizune also turned to the Jounin, who simply smirked and chuckled.

"Because it's hilarious to see the offspring of Konoha." Mesi started, and Tsunade blinked. "All of them keep saying nothing scares them, and yet they're all blind. Blind to each other, but most importantly, they're blind to their own hearts."

"What do you mean?" Shizune questioned, holding a small pile of papers against her chest, and Mesi stepped forward so that she was no longer leaning against the wall.

"They're all seventeen, and you're stopping them from noticing what could truly help this village." Mesi pointed out before shrugging. "Not that I believe in that kind of stuff, but hey, people usually say it's true, so whatever…"

"I'm surprised to hear Kourui Mesi talk about such feelings." Kakashi teased as he appeared by the window, his eye never leaving his book, and Mesi twitched. "I take you're still mad at me."

"If you really must know, Hatake, the first thing I told your student, Uzumaki Naruto, was that I was here to kick your ass." Mesi growled, and Kakashi finally looked up at her. "So you really don't want to start getting on my nerves right now, specially when we have things to do."

"It's very good to see you two still get along, because I have a mission." Tsunade spoke suddenly, and both Jounin turned to her. "I want both of you to follow the tracks of the panthers, and find one of the Anei members. Bring him back."

"What? You want us to go together?" Mesi questioned, an eyebrow raised, and Tsunade nodded. "Gee, you must not like Kakashi, to send him on a mission with me, but hey, I finally have the perfect reason to kick his ass, and have no one to bother me about it."

"Did you forget that I'm still here?" Kakashi questioned, and Mesi shrugged.

"You're simply an annoyance, Hatake, a _pervert_ annoyance."

"Tsunade-sama, do you err…think it's safe to let them go by themselves?" Shizune whispered to the Hokage, but she could not help but blink when Tsunade sent her a knowing look and a smirk. "Oh boy…"

»«»«»«

"Are you ready to go, Hinata-sama?" Neji questioned suddenly close to the door of the room, his arms pressed against his chest as he watched the girl zipping her coat up to her neck. "Your father is waiting for you at home."

"H-hai." Hinata whispered with a small bow, and Neji stepped out of the room when the girl walked towards him. However, before they could go much further someone blocked their way, and Hinata's eyes widened. "N-Naruto-kun."

"H-hey Hinata, Neji, I err…you're leaving?" the blond asked, and Hinata nodded although blush was starting to cover her pale cheeks. "Oh, I hum…I was wondering if I could…err…talk to you, Hinata."

"Hinata-sama, we must get going, your father…"

"Can you give us five minutes, Neji-nii-san?" Hinata interrupted in her quiet tone, and Neji opened his mouth to retort before nodding, but it was only after glancing at Naruto that Neji walked away. Hinata, on the meantime, was trying to control her flipping stomach; ever since Naruto had showed up to visit her against the rules, that she felt even more nervous around him. "Na-Naruto-kun, what do you need?"

"I…actually, I wanted to see Sakura-chan…" Naruto trailed off, and Hinata looked down; of course he was looking for Sakura, as if it was possible for him to think about some other girl. "But I guess I can talk to you too, after all we…we're friends, ne?"

"Of course!" Hinata exclaimed before blushing at her out-burst, and slowly she approached the boy, who was standing on the same spot, his eyes locked with the floor. "Naruto-kun, w-what's wrong?"

"Did it…hurt?" Naruto questioned suddenly, and Hinata blinked in confusion before noticing that he was staring at her bandaged neck, and as a reaction Hinata caressed the bandages. "I'm…I'm sorry."

"For what, Naruto-kun?" Hinata questioned, feeling even more confused; she just was not used to see Naruto looking so gloomy…so lonely and serious at same time. "Naruto-kun, what…what happened?"

"Yesterday…" Naruto started, and Hinata rose a hand against her chest as she waited for him to continue. "Yesterday, when that girl was talking about her clan, and hum…about the…about the…"

"Naruto!!!" a voice called-out suddenly, and Hinata looked behind the boy, who looked over his shoulder, and both of them saw Sakura running towards them. "There you are, I was looking everywhere for you!"

"Sakura-chan, did something happen?" Naruto asked as he turned fully to the girl while Hinata looked down; all Sakura had to do was show up for Naruto to ignore the shy Hyuuga.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura started, and Naruto opened his eyes wide. "I think he's going to do something foolish. I know I should leave him alone, but I'm worried Naruto. He was kind of strange yesterday, so please, go help him."

"What happened?" Naruto asked as he followed Sakura, who had motioned for him to follow her as she started running towards the stairs. Hinata, on the other hand, opened her mouth to call for him, but decided to keep silent; she knew Naruto would just ignore her, especially after seeing the way Sakura was looking.

"Hinata-sama…" Neji's voice made Hinata snap from her trance, and the girl looked up only to blush when she saw the boy standing in front of her. "Forget him, he's too slow to understand anything aside what Sakura does."

"But…"

"Perhaps one day he'll see it." Neji finished, and Hinata stared at him before looking down, sadness erupting from her soul and becoming visible in her eyes. "Come, your father is waiting for you to return home."

"H-hai."

While Hinata silently followed Neji out of the hospital, Naruto was following Sakura, but he was deaf to what she was saying. Jiraiya had finally told him to speak first with the ones Naruto trusted the most so Naruto figured that he could tell Sakura about it; after all, even though she was obsessed with Sasuke, she was a good friend.

"Hum, Sakura-chan, I err…"

"…I'm just worried he may do something. Lee-san told me I should leave him alone, but I have this feeling… I can't explain, I feel as if Sasuke-kun is going to do something stupid." Sakura continued, and Naruto blinked. "I just…I just want to make sure he's alright. We don't even have to bother him if we see he's not doing something that gets him killed…"

"Sakura-chan, I have something to tell you." Naruto confessed, and Sakura slowed down her pace as she gazed at him. "It's rather important, and it's about what happened yesterday. I mean err…about what was spoken yesterday."

"Naruto, whatever it is I'm sure it's not as serious as finding Sasuke-kun, and stopping him from going after those members of the Anei clan." Sakura snapped, and Naruto looked down. "Help me to find Sasuke, and then you can tell me whatever you want."

Yeah right, as if after finding Sasuke she would actually give a damn about whatever Naruto had to say. Then, for some reason, Naruto remembered what he had been doing right before leaving the hospital, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Hinata!"

"Huh? What's wrong with Hinata?" Sakura asked as the two of them continued running, and Naruto stared at her with the same surprised look on his face. "Err…Naruto, are you alright?"

"I completely forgot about her when you called me!" Naruto exclaimed, "Man, I have to go tell her I'm sorry! I just…ah man!"

"Wait! What about Sasuke-kun?" Sakura questioned when she noticed that Naruto was slowing down, until he turned around. "Naruto!"

"Sorry, gotta rush! I'm sure you'll convince Sasuke, Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted back, but as he continued to run he could swear he could hear Sakura calling him 'baka'. And for once Naruto felt that he just did not care about what the girl could possibly think about him.

It did not take more than a few minutes for Naruto to be already running through the halls of the hospital, his feet leading him to the room where Hinata had been resting. He just did not understand how he had forgotten Hinata when he had been planning about talking to her. Sometimes Naruto just could not help but think that he was indeed a big idiot.

"Hinata!" Naruto called-out, storming inside the room where Hinata had once been, but he blinked when he saw that the room was empty. Then, the information that Hinata had told him that she was leaving was finally processed by his brain, and Naruto sighed; yes, sometimes he was an idiot.

»«»«»«

Sakura slowly wandered through the forest, her eyes scanning the whole area as she tried to find Sasuke in the middle of the trees. According to Shino, whom Sakura had saw at the entrance of the forest, Sasuke had been seen close to the centre of the forest, where he usually trained with Kakashi. Sakura knew that she should not bother the young Uchiha, but the strange feeling in her gut was truly pushing her forward.

It felt as if something was going to happen…something that Sakura would not be able to stop…

"Sasuke-kun." Sakura whispered as she rose a hand to her chest, her feet leading her to some random spot in the forest. Ever since she had seen the look in Sasuke's eyes, after Suki's revelation, that Sakura had truly wanted to pass through Sasuke's walls, and talk to him.

Then she heard it.

A small shout.

Widening her eyes in surprise, Sakura turned to her side, her ears becoming sharper than before. She knew that shout. Without thinking twice, Sakura started running, avoiding all low branches and roots that appeared in front of her. She needed to find him!

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted, pushing some bushes aside, but she stopped her tracks when she saw Sasuke on his knees, punching the ground. "Sasuke-kun! What's wrong?"

But he simply ignored her. Sasuke just continued punching the ground, muttering profanities under his breath, and Sakura took one step forward only to stop when she finally noticed the weapons scattered all over the ground. Something was wrong…something was deadly wrong…

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed, forcing herself to run to the boy's side before gasping slightly when she saw his wounded hands, and then she crouched next to him. "Sasuke-kun, please, stop. Tell me what's wrong."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sasuke snapped in a very cold tone of voice, and Sakura cringed when he stared at her with empty black eyes. "I didn't ask you to come here!"

"No, you didn't, but I would be damned if I didn't follow my gut!" Sakura exclaimed back, feeling rather angry for being pushed away all the time. "I'm trying to help you, Sasuke-kun! Please, ever since that girl told us her story that I have been really worried about you!"

"I don't need you to worry about me." Sasuke snapped again before standing up, and Sakura looked up at him before mimicking his actions. "I have to train, so leave."

"No, I refuse to leave." Sakura started, clenching her hands into strong fists, and surprisingly she did not even wince when Sasuke stared at her with his hard eyes. "I can't see you like this! I'm sure you're about to do something crazy, and I can't allow it!"

"You know nothing about me!" Sasuke started in a dangerously controlled voice, and Sakura looked at him right in the eye. "You don't understand, and frankly I don't want you to. So, leave me alone Sakura."

"Why do you try so hard to push people away?" Sakura asked suddenly, but Sasuke's expression did not quiver. "Why do you keep pushing _me_ away? You know I just want to help you! I just want to make you see that you're not alone!"

"Well, I don't need your help, so you better deal with it." Sasuke snapped, and Sakura stared at him before looking away. "Sometimes people need to be alone, Sakura, and you better deal with that."

"But…"

Sakura trailed off when she glanced at the spot where Sasuke had been only to see he was not there anymore. In confusion, Sakura started looking around, but she felt her body freeze when a warm breath caressed her neck, and then she opened her eyes wide.

"If you want a thing done well, do it yourself, don't forget that." Sakura closed her eyes as she felt Sasuke's breathing caress her neck and cheek. "Sometimes, there are things that must be done by yourself."

"But Sasuke-kun, can't we try to fix whatever needs to be fixed together?" Sakura asked, without turning around mainly because she could still feel Sasuke behind her. Then, she glanced at the weapons scattered on the ground. "I know this whole thing about Orochimaru worries you, but…"

"Sakura, there are moments when we have to accept that our lives are different." Sasuke said in his usual calm voice, and the girl opened her eyes wide again at his words while she shivered.

_The_ feeling was back…the strange feeling that was making Sakura shudder because it made her feel as if she was never going to reach out for the real Sasuke, and show him that life had more to offer than just revenge and hate.

"What are you going to do?" Sakura whispered, trying to ignore the strange feeling that was raising from the bottom of her stomach, and she knew that Sasuke was smirking. "Are you…are you going to leave us? Are you going to abandon us when we need you the most?"

"Like I said, if you want a thing done well, do it yourself."

"What are you saying, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura whispered, looking down, but when she suddenly felt wind caressing her back, the girl spun around on her heels only to see that she was all alone. "Sasuke-kun?"

And for some reason, Sakura could not help but feel as if she had failed the mission Tsunade had given her.

»«»«»«

With a sign, Hinata left her house, and glanced at the sky; it was starting to get dark, but since she still had some time before dinner, Hinata thought it would be good if she walked a bit. After being inside a hospital and receiving the cold look of your father, a stroll did sound nice. So, Hinata decided to leave her house, informing Neji about her leisurely walk before leaving.

Besides, it was not as if someone else would care.

Smiling to herself, Hinata looked away from the sky, and started walking through the still slightly crowded street of Konoha. That was something Hinata loved about her village; even though she was a quiet girl, Hinata just loved to observe how Konohagakure seemed to become a welcoming village just because of its villagers.

Entwining her fingers behind her back, Hinata continued with her stroll, but her smile faded slightly when she spot a group of children playing on a swing tied up to a tree's branch. There was a blond boy in the group that resembled to Naruto, and such physical resemblance made Hinata remember what had happened before she had left the hospital.

That had been the first time Hinata had actually seen Naruto look serious and lost. Of course he had looked serious in other times, mostly during missions, but there had been something in his eyes that was foreign to Hinata. A look that seemed to cry out for someone…a look that had seemed to scream for someone to step closer to Naruto and pull the boy into a hug…

At such thought, Hinata could not help but blush slightly. Shaking her head slightly, Hinata forced herself to come back to reality, but she looked up when the wind whispered a question into her ears.

"_Naruto, is everything alright? You're still on the first bowl."_

In confusion, Hinata stared at the restaurant she was walking past by, and blinked when she saw a pair of familiar orange pants and jacket. For a moment she wondered if she should intrude, but since that was in fact a restaurant, Hinata knew it would not look bad if she did. The only problem was to gather enough courage to step forward.

"_Naruto, is everything alright?"_ a female voice questioned, and Hinata raised a hand to her chest as her mind got lost in options; option number 1, she could just walk inside and behave as if she had not seen Naruto. Option number 2, Hinata could just turn around, and continue with her walk. Option number 3, Hinata could just take a deep breath and go talk to her crush.

And for some reason, Hinata liked none of those possibilities.

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered after swallowing hard, but she could already feel blood rushing up to her cheeks as her eyes kept locked with the boy's blue ninja sandals. Perhaps that was just a stupidity, and she should just leave.

_"Huh?"_

And in the middle of all those options, Hinata had forgotten Naruto's accurate hearing.

"Hinata?"

At her name, Hinata looked up only to see that Naruto was standing, staring right at her. Blood seemed to be rushing to her cheeks as Hinata continued to stare at the boy, her heart beating at a painfully rate against her rib cage while her legs seemed to have become stone.

"Hinata, are you ok?" Naruto asked with a worried look on his face, but Hinata just continued to stare at him. "You look like a tomato, are you sure you should have left the hospital?"

"I…err…I-I'm f-fine…" Hinata stuttered as she desperately tried to calm her beating heart down, but what happened was exactly the opposite since Naruto had looked down before stepping forward. "I err…I just wanted to…"

"Hinata, I know it's almost dinner time, but…" Hinata blinked, and slowly calmed down when she saw the look on the boy's face…the same look he had had at the hospital. "Do you think we…can we talk for a little bit?"

"H-hai." Hinata stuttered again, knowing that she still looked like a tomato since she could feel her cheeks still heating up. "I err…wh-what happened?"

"Can we go some place else?" Naruto asked back, and Hinata blinked before nodding, and after smiling slightly at her, Naruto motioned for the girl to follow him. "I'm sorry for leaving you at the hospital."

"I-It's okay." Hinata muttered as the two walked side-by-side, her eyes locked with the ground. "Sakura is your team mate, and S-Sasuke is your friend as well. I-I don't mind…"

"Still, I really need to stop leaving you alone every time I tell you I want to talk to you." Naruto retorted, and Hinata glanced at him before looking down when noticing he was also staring at the ground. "Hinata…"

"Hai?"

"We have been friends for quite some time, ne?" the boy asked, and Hinata blinked at his words before nodding. "I err…I still remember what you told me before the third exam." at that, Hinata blushed. "I guess what I'm trying to ask is…do you really think that about me?"

"H-Hai." Hinata whispered, going red again, and Naruto stared at her. "I err…I still think you're one of the few who truly doesn't mind making mistakes, because y-you learn from them, and…I-I still think that those mistakes are what make you become…stronger and matured. And I-I think you're actually the living example of the proverb: 'fall down seven times, get up eight times'."

Suddenly Naruto stopped, and Hinata blinked in confusion before noticing that they had arrived to the park. In silence, Naruto took the girl to the swings, where the two of them sat down, a strangely comfortable silence surrounding them.

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata called-out when she noticed that the boy was still looking down, his hands holding the chains on both sides of the swing. "D-did something happen? I-I mean, you're really quiet."

"I talked to Ero-sennin." Naruto started, and Hinata blinked as she continued to look at him, and Naruto suddenly gazed up at the coloured sky. "He told me that I should tell someone this, and hum…I really don't know why, but without counting with Sakura-chan and Sasuke, you were the first person to pop in my mind."

At that, Hinata blushed slightly, but she continued to listen to the boy.

"I still don't know if I should tell you or anyone else this, but…but I guess I need to because I have to ask you for forgiveness, and I…" Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly as he slowly turned his attention to Hinata, who looked back at him in confusion. "I guess that to ask you to forgive me, I have to tell you the whole story."

"Naruto-kun, I…forgiveness? Why?"

"Hinata, I err…do you think I can tell you this without interruptions?" Naruto asked, and Hinata blinked before nodding. "Thank you, and I…please, after this, d-don't run away alright? Please, I just…I just need to explain you this before telling how sorry I am."

"A-alright…" Hinata whispered as she clenched the iron chain on her right side with both her hands, and Naruto took a deep breath at same time he closed his eyes. It was obvious…it was obvious that whatever he was going to tell her was hurting him… Hinata just hoped she could understand what had happened to leave him in such condition.

After a long moment, Naruto felt his lips parting, and before he knew it, words were finally breaking the now uncomfortable silence. He seriously did not know what had made him tell everything to Hinata of all people, but deep down Naruto felt that he had done the right choice. What was worrying him now was the result of his confession.

What was worrying him was Hinata's reaction after finding about his past, and about the real reason why she had been attacked.

"…and since the villagers knew about the decision made by the Fourth Hokage, and knew what had been sealed inside of me, they hated me." Naruto finally whispered, and for some reason he felt as if a huge weight had been taken off from his shoulders. However, he still needed to continue. "A-And that's why I…I had to tell you, after all, it's because of me that you and everyone else were attacked. I'm really sorry, Hinata, but I understand if you hate me now. I'll understand if you turn your back at me…"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered, and slowly Naruto gazed at the girl only to feel a pang against his chest when he noticed the tears that were threatening to roll down the girl's cheeks. "I-I didn't know. My father h-he never mentioned that, and I…I'm so sorry."

Such words surprised Naruto, who could not help but open his eyes wide when he saw a tear roll down Hinata's cheek. And for some reason, he did not like to see the girl crying. Besides, she was not supposed to be crying; she was supposed to be calling him monster, beast, freak…she was supposed to be running away from him, and not clenching her hands over her lap while crying.

"Hinata…"

"I never knew, I…" Naruto saw Hinata closing her fists even harder, but he was too stunned by her reaction even to move. "I-I…Naruto-kun, y-you can't p-possibly ask me for forgiveness a-after telling me this…"

And on that moment Naruto knew that he was going to be all alone.

**To Be Continued…**


	15. Sun in the Darkness

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and the unknown characters.

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I want to thank **city with no people**, **Twin Psychos**, **Jojibear** _and _**SGCred **for your guys support. I guess some moments in this chapter won't be surprising, but I would like to ask you to forgive me from now on because of the fights. I'm simply awful at those. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this!

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**Chapter 14**

Sun In The Darkness

"Honestly, how can you read those disgusting things?"

In confusion Kakashi looked up from his book, and stared at Mesi, who was sitting across him, a small fire between them. For a moment the two of them just stared at each other until Kakashi sighed, and rose his book.

"This is more interesting than you think."

"Of course, why on earth was I expecting to hear something else?" Mesi muttered as she rose her right knee, and rested her hand on it. "I shouldn't expect much for a guy who believes that flirting is paradise…"

"Are you actually doubting my abilities?"

"Took you all this time to notice that?" Mesi asked back before shaking her head, her eyes locked with Kakashi's figure. "Shame Hatake, you're seriously getting old."

"You're what? Two years younger than me?" Kakashi questioned, and Mesi laughed at his question before smirking.

"And a heck more matured than you."

"I see you haven't changed." Kakashi sighed, and Mesi raised an eyebrow at his words. "Still the same over-confident girl you were before."

"Tsk, you really shouldn't talk." Mesi started before motioning towards the book he was holding with her left hand. "You're still the same damn pervert as before, and between us, I prefer to be an over-confident _woman_ to be an old pervert."

"I'm not a pervert."

"No, of course not, you're just a guy who unfortunately has a liking for disgusting books called Icha Icha Paradise." Mesi started sarcastically, a lock of hair caressing the side of her face. "I feel real bad for you, Hatake."

"Your sarcasm hasn't changed." Kakashi pointed out, but Mesi just continued to smirk at him. "If it's good or not to see that you haven't changed at all only time will tell, but I have to admit I'm not sure if _I_ want to find out."

"Ah, you know it's a bit too late to chicken out." Mesi started as Kakashi turned his attention to his book. "Apparently we're stuck together for quite sometime, so…what about burning that thing now?"

"Never!" Kakashi shouted, holding the book against his chest almost as if Mesi had just proposed something completely absurd like the two of them getting married. "You stay away from my book!"

"Well, I can always burn it while you're sleeping."

"What makes you think that I sleep?"

"The fact you don't have dark circles under your eyes, baka." Mesi retorted as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and then she sighed. "Seriously, how can someone actually fear you when you behave like a scared kid when someone thinks about damaging that book of yours?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yeah, you're right, but then again, I can always tell your students that the best way of having you behaving like a kitty is to threaten you with that book of yours." Mesi said nonchalantly at same time she shrugged, and Kakashi sweatdropped. "See? I still know your weak points, which proves you haven't changed either."

"Perhaps none of us actually tried to change." Kakashi commented suddenly, now strangely serious, and Mesi raised an eyebrow at his sudden change of subject and tone of voice. "You never told me the reason that brought you back to Konoha."

"I already told you; I wanted to have the pleasure of kicking your ass." Mesi retorted calmly, but when Kakashi looked up from his book to stare at her, the woman sighed. "Alright, first of all, I'm not here to stay. And secondly, don't you start plotting, because whatever you're thinking it's not going to work."

"I didn't say anything."

"Gee, Hatake, a person doesn't need to be a genius to know that you were thinking about something." Mesi pointed out as she rolled her eyes. "After all, you don't change one subject to another without having any interest in it."

"Why did you leave? Kakashi questioned after a pregnant silence, and Mesi stared at him before looking away. "You left without leaving any explanation. Actually, you left without even telling to the Hokage why you were leaving."

"On contrary of what I think about you, I was sure that the Hokage was going to understand." Mesi retorted, a hint of tiredness in her words. "Besides, I don't have to tell you anything; you're old enough to understand why I left."

"Oh, but I do understand; what I just don't understand is why you left without saying anything." Kakashi pointed out, and Mesi sighed before standing up, and moments later the man mimicked her actions at same time he put his book in his holster.

"You never asked me to stay."

After those words, Mesi put her hand on the holster on her lower back, and the sound of chains was heard. Then, with a quick movement with her wrist, Mesi pulled out a 3 feet long chain, weighted at both ends. Silently, Mesi started swirling the chain around her, and without blinking she swung one of the ends of the chain to her right side, and a scream was heard.

Kakashi, on the meantime, was already holding a kunai, his eye locked with a pair of bloodthirsty black eyes. The panther was emerging slowly from the shadows, the flames of the fire bringing out the deadly look on its eyes.

"You get the kitty." Mesi whispered before smirking as the person she had just hit emerged from the shadows, but it was only after Kakashi's nod that the attack began.

»«»«»«

She seriously did not know what had possessed her to do what she had just done. Perhaps it was the hormones; after all, she was seventeen, she could barely speak with stuttering, and was too damn shy. However, due to the situation, she seriously did not know if she should blame hormones out of everything, _but_ since she had nothing else to blame…

After all, what on earth could explain how her arms had ended up around Naruto's torso, her knees on the ground while tears continued to roll down her cheeks? And she had yet to faint, and such was already an achievement!

"H-Hinata!"

"I would never leave you." Hinata whispered, her face leaned against Naruto's coat. "I could never, ever, hate you, Naruto-kun…"

There was the sound of chains….

The sound of a swing…

And then there was warmth and coldness…

Slowly Hinata opened her eyes as she felt Naruto's arms around her form, his face resting on the space between her shoulder and neck. She could feel something falling on her skin, and it did not take long for her to hold the boy even tighter.

On that moment it did not matter if she was going to be embarrassed later. It did not matter if Hinata would not be able to stare at Naruto's face for the rest of her life…all that mattered was that for the first time Naruto was revealing a side he had never showed to anyone.

And he was showing it to the shy Hyuuga.

He was _seeing_ the sky Hyuuga.

_They_ were seeing _each other_.

"N-Naruto…" Hinata whispered when she felt Naruto pull her even closer to him, and then she allowed herself to melt into the embrace. She just wanted to show him that she was there…she just wanted to make him see that she was not going anywhere…

"T-thank you, Hinata…" Naruto whispered into the girl's ear, and Hinata would have blushed if she had not felt the few tears that fell on her skin. "T-thank you for not leaving me…"

"I would never leave you." Hinata whispered back, only looking up when she felt Naruto straighten up, but their arms were still around each other. "And I don't blame you…I-I could never blame you…"

"I was so worried…" Naruto finally confessed in a very low tone of voice, and Hinata was about to retort when she finally noticed how close they were. So close that their foreheads were almost touching, and consequently, Hinata went red. "Thank you for being such a friend, Hinata."

"Y-you're welcome, Naruto-kun." Hinata whispered, and the two of them continued holding each other, their eyes locked as mute words of comfort continued to sing around them.

"Oi! What are you two doing?"

At that, Hinata lost her balance completely, and fell forward, consequently making Naruto lose his balance and fall off the swing. However, since their arms were still around each other, Naruto pulled Hinata with him, and they ended up in a very compromising position while laughter could be heard as background.

"Hinata, I never knew you had it in you!" Kiba laughed as he appeared behind his two friends, noticing how Hinata had her head resting on Naruto's stomach while the boy had both his hands on her shoulders. "Man, am I interrupting something?"

"K-Kiba-kun!" Hinata exclaimed in her nervous voice at same time she struggled to get up, her face heating up too quickly for her liking. In a matter of seconds, the girl was already on her feet, blushing like mad while Naruto seemed to be frozen in time, since he was still on the ground, his legs resting on the swing.

"Oi, Naruto, need help or something?" Kiba asked as he stared down at the blond, who kept staring at the sky with a surprised look, and Akamaru barked suddenly. "Yeah, I think the fall affected him. That or our dear innocent Hinata did _something_ to him…"

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata exclaimed, wondering if it was even possible to go even redder than she already was." W-we weren't doing anything! W-we were just talking!"

"Sure, from where I come from we don't call talking to _that_." Kiba pointed out with a mischievous look on his face before stepping closer to Naruto, and bend down in order to shake the boy. "Man, snap out of it!"

"I believe it!" Naruto shouted suddenly, and Hinata almost tripped on her own feet when she stepped backwards in surprise since Naruto had stood up at lightning speed. "Hinata, I believe in you!"

"N-Naruto-kun…"

"Hey, what on earth is going on in here?" Kiba asked, but he blinked in surprise when Naruto started laughing before rushing to Hinata, and pull the girl into a strong hug. "Hey, Naruto! What are you doing?"

"Thank you, Hinata! Thank you!" Naruto shouted happily, but Hinata was too much in shock due to their position to actually hear what he was saying. Blood was pumping at full speed through her veins, her body temperature was increasing drastically, her heart beating painfully against her rib cage.

And then Hinata did the only thing she could do since she was still in Naruto's arms.

She fainted.

»«»«»«

"_WHAT?" _

"I know I should have come sooner, b-"

"He's missing? How on earth can he be missing?"

"He just did…" Sakura whispered, looking down, feeling Tsunade's eyes on her, and with a sigh the Hokage sat on her chair again. "I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama, I failed the mission you gave me."

"That's not important, we have to find him." Tsunade started, now slightly calmer than before, and Sakura looked up at her again. "He told you that in order to have something done well, you must do it yourself?" Sakura nodded, "And he didn't return home ever since you found him in the forest?"

"No."

"Do you have any clue about what Sasuke can be plotting about doing?" Tsunade questioned, and Sakura opened her mouth ready to answer before closing her lips again, and the Hokage rose an eyebrow. "Well?"

"I think that…whatever Sasuke-kun may be planning, it's probably connected with the girl you found." Sakura started, rather strongly, and Tsunade entwined her fingers in front of her chin, her elbows resting on the desk. "I don't know why, but…he was behaving strangely when we left the hospital, so it's only a feeling."

"When it comes to Sasuke and Naruto I trust your feelings." Tsunade started, and Sakura took a deep breath. "But in this case I find it difficult for Sasuke to actually be able to approach the girl; she's being guarded by Jiraiya as we speak, and no matter how strong he is, I'm sure Sasuke won't be able to go past Jiraiya."

"Tsunade-sama…"

"But you're right." the older woman continued, and Sakura blinked at her words. "This is the survivor of the Uchiha clan we're talking about, and it would be foolish to underestimate him. I think we can go pay a visit to Jiraiya, but after that you're to go straight home. It's too late for you to be wandering on the streets."

"Hai!" Sakura exclaimed, now in a straight position, her arms resting on her sides, and with a small smile Tsunade stood up from her seat; that was the generation that would bring light into a world of darkness, and Tsunade knew that it was only correct to help that same generation to become even brighter.

"Let's go, Sakura!"

While both Tsunade and Sakura left the office, a dark shadow approached an apartment. Apparently it was deserted for no light was coming from inside, and everything was too quiet, and yet he knew it was all a lie. He knew no one was guarding that place; he knew she knew she was alone…he knew she was waiting for him…

Clenching his right hand, he quickly made his way around the apartment, and just like before he approached the window. He had seen where the supposed guard was, and he was not going to show up until much later. Either way, when the guard did show up, it would be already too late.

Without thinking twice, Sasuke opened the window again, and jumped inside. The moon outside allowed him to look around, and see most things, and it did not take long for his eyes to meet a pair of carmine coloured ones. Then, there was a chuckle, and Suki emerged from the shadows.

"So, I guess you just want to prove me that the great Uchiha is just too cool to lose to a girl." Suki commented suddenly, but Sasuke just narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists even tighter. "I guess I was expecting this when you left this place yesterday."

"I want a rematch."

"Of course you want, because in case you haven't noticed, prisoners don't carry weapons with them." Suki pointed out calmly, and with a quick flick with his wrist, Sasuke grabbed a kunai from his pouch and threw it to the wall just behind the girl, missing her ear by inches. "Impressive, but what if I refuse to fight you?"

"I can always make you."

"Ah yes, but do you think its wise to challenge an enemy when you never saw him fighting?" Suki questioned as she turned to her side, and wrapped her fingers around the hilt of the kunai. "And this works both ways, since I never saw you fighting."

"Pick that thing now, and stop chatting." Sasuke ordered in a deadpanned tone, and Suki pulled the kunai from the wall before turning to him. "I'm not a weakling that loses to girls."

"Technically you didn't lose to me because all I did was strike your forehead, so I really think its pointless for us to go through this." Suki commented, turning fully to Sasuke, who quickly grabbed a kunai as well, his eyes now red. "So, do you really want to do this?"

"Like I said, I'm here to fight not to chat." Sasuke repeated, now in fighting stance. "I want a rematch, and I want it now."

"So be it." Suki whispered, and narrowing his eyes, Sasuke decided to be the first to attack. "Show me what you've got, Uchiha."

Sasuke did not need to be told twice.

»«»«»«

"Damn it, Kakashi, what the hell are you doing?" Mesi snapped as she felt the man bump against her back. "Will you stop running away from that damn cat, and show me that you're not as childish as you were before?"

"Will you stop ordering me around?" Kakashi asked back, and Mesi rolled her eyes before jumping to her side when the shadow she was fighting tried to hit her with a scythe. "I'm trying to save your ass!"

"As if, I'm the one trying to stop you from having your head cut from your shoulders." Mesi retorted before throwing the weighted side of her weapon towards her adversary, and she smirked when the person jumped forward only to show that his body was covered by a long brown coat. "So, are you going to take that off or shall I make you?"

"Such a pretty girl…why don't you make me?" a male voice questioned, and Mesi raised an eyebrow when her eyes meet a pair of grey ones. "After all, after going through all this trouble, the least you could do was take this off."

"Heck, just what I needed, another pervert." Mesi muttered under her breath before elbowing Kakashi on his back when she heard him chuckle. "Do you mind keeping your mind on the battle, you old pervert?"

"I already told you to stop calling me old." Kakashi said before jumping to the side when the panther tried to bite his neck, and then he sighed. "Do you want me to blow its head or will you just stop this damn animal?"

"Tsk, it's just a kitty, Hatake." Mesi retorted as she bend down before trying a roundhouse kick, only to see her opponent disappearing before he was hit. "And stop talking to me, you're not helping!"

"You're the one talking to me." Kakashi replied back, and Mesi growled under her breathe before looking over her shoulder at the man, who glanced back at her. "Ready when you are."

"Oh hell… Inbijiburu Hando no Jutsu." Mesi whispered as she turned on her heels so that she was the one facing the panther while Kakashi swirled to the opposite direction, their backs leaned against each other again. "You couldn't handle a kitty…shame Hatake, shame on you."

When she trailed off, Mesi gazed at the panther, her right hand raised towards it; the animal seemed to be stuck on the ground, not being able to move although it was standing on its four paws. Kakashi, on the contrary, was busy doing some hand seals.

"Kanashibari no Jutsu." (1) Kakashi spoke, his attention turned to his left side, and then a groan was heard. "Now something here is off; I knew people were getting stupider, but this is a bit too much, especially since these are the guys we're supposed to be worried about."

"Will you stop complaining, and take the coat off that guy?" Mesi snapped as she looked away from the panther, her hand still up in the air. "Gee, the more older you get the more you complain."

"And you're getting grumpier." Kakashi muttered before he could stop himself, and Mesi immediately opened her eyes wide at his words.

"I swear Hatake, if I wasn't so busy keeping this panther in its place, I would be kicking your ass by now!" she exclaimed angrily, and Kakashi sweatdropped before walking towards the shadows, the light from the fire indicating where his paralyzed opponent was.

"Man, don't you just love women like her?" the hidden opponent questioned, but Kakashi ignored the question by raising a hand, and take the hood off the hidden person's head. It was no surprise when he faced a boy, standing still on the spot, a smirk on his face while his coal-black hair fell down to his shoulders. "I should have known I would end up doing a pitiful job against you."

"Who are you?" Kakashi questioned as he stared at the boy, who did not seem to be any older than twenty. However, instead waiting for the boy to answer, Kakashi spotted the mark of three claws on the boy's neck, on the left side, and he immediately narrowed his eye. "You're from the Anei clan."

"I guess there's no point in denying it." the boy retorted still without being able to move his body, and then he stared at Mesi. "You can let Fuki go now; he's not going to hurt you now."

"Yeah, right, I'm so going to believe in you." Mesi answered sarcastically, and the boy looked from her to Kakashi. "What's your name? And state your business here, aside from your failed attempt of killing us."

"The name's Tora, and like this guy stated so wisely, I'm a member of the Anei clan." the boy started. "Of course that for you to actually be aware of my presence, it means someone must have talked, and if I'm not wrong, I dare to say it was Suki."

"What are you doing here?" Kakashi questioned suddenly, and Tora sighed before blinking when he moved an arm, but before he could do something else, a kunai appeared close to his neck.

"Man, getting caught sucks."

"You can say that again, but now talk!" Mesi snapped, and Tora glanced at her before turning to Kakashi, who was still holding the kunai against his neck.

"What I was supposed to do has been complete." Tora spoke after a few moments, and Kakashi narrowed his eye when he saw something flashing through the boy's eyes. "I'm sure Suki told you about our clan and everything else, but there's something she doesn't know."

"And what's that?" Kakashi asked, and Tora stared at him before smirking.

"Our plan is about shaking people's lives." he started, "The rest we leave to the only one who can bring Konoha down, and who will end up helping us as soon as he knows we're not as worthless as he thought years ago."

"You mean…" Mesi glanced at Kakashi's back before staring at Tora, who looked back at her with a smirk. "Orochimaru…"

**To Be Continued...**

1 – I know Kakashi is not able to use _Kanashibari no Jutsu_, but for the sake of this fic, allow me to make this exception. Thank you!


	16. Explosion of Insanity

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and the unknown characters.

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I want to thank **Jojibear**, **SGCred**, **city with no people**, **olliebird113**, **SadowKitty** _and_ **Bella-Rose01** for everything! I also want to leave here my gratitude towards **FlowerChild91**. And please, remember, I suck at battles, so _please_ forgive me for those moments. I also want to ask you to warn me if you think this fic is becoming confusing; the fic is finished but I can try to squeeze a little bit of information or at least explain whatever is confusing you through a message.

Well, off with the new chapter…

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**Chapter 15**

Explosion of Insanity

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

"Whoa! You got sick of using weapons, so now you're trying to bring the house down!" Suki commented as she jumped to the side, keeping away from the huge fireball as possible. "You know, we can't really leave this place, so what about _not_ using fire techniques in the middle of the fight?"

"Tsk, I don't care." Sasuke retorted before running towards the girl, and when their kunais meet he smirked. "I will never lose to the likes of you."

Suddenly Sasuke twirled around so that he was behind Suki's, and after grabbing the girl's arm, he threw he into the air. Without even blinking, Sasuke jumped too so that he was below Suki, following the same trajectory through the air. Suki, on the meantime, looked over her shoulder, and blinked in surprise when her eyes meet Sharingan.

"Shishi Rendan!"

As expected, Suki managed to block the kick that was aimed to her left side, but was unable to block the backhand strike directed to her face. Smirking, Sasuke threw one straight punch to the girl's gut, sending her towards the ground, and Sasuke did not waste any time to finish his attack with a spinning kick that landed right on the chest.

"I will never be a weakling." Sasuke hissed as stood up, his eyes locked with Suki's motionless form since the girl was lying on the ground, a small crater behind her. "I am not a weakling."

"I dare to say I agree." a voice spoke from behind Sasuke, and the boy opened his eyes wide in surprise, but before he could move around, a kunai was leaned against his neck. "But like I said, its foolish to fight someone whose powers are unknown."

Sasuke was about to question how on earth Suki had been able to get behind him when her body was lying on the ground, but he blinked when he saw the body in front of him become black, and then fade into the shadows.

"Do you not know what Anei means?" Suki questioned, without lowering the kunai, but Sasuke did not answer; he just stared at the crater where Suki's shadow clone had once been. "It means shadow…it means gloom…it means the reason why you lost, because you were already lost in the shadows, gloominess consuming your flesh…"

"Shut up!" Sasuke yelled before grasping Suki's wrist at same time he twirled around so that the kunai was in-between their necks, their bodies facing each other. "I did not lose to someone like you."

"Your problem is that you don't believe that you lost because someone touched your forehead." Suki retorted, both of them so close that they could feel each other's warm breath caressing their tired faces. "Your problem is that you don't want to put in your thick head that you still have a long path ahead of you."

"Tsk, don't talk about what you don't know." Sasuke smirked, and Suki stared at his red eyes, but she blinked when she saw that he had somehow managed to put cords around her wrists, and then he flipped backwards. "I'm not going to lose to you. Katon: Ryūka n-"

Suddenly the wall on their side blew up, and the two fighting ninja looked at it in time to see two silhouettes emerging from outside. Sound of footsteps started to be heard, and it did not take long for Tsunade and Sakura to walk inside.

"Sasuke, you have one minute to step away from Suki before I make you." Tsunade ordered in a frightening scary tone, but Sasuke did not move, which made the Hokage narrow her eyes. "You forget I can do to you what I just did to the wall with only one finger, so you better do as I say. Sakura, you go find that damn pervert, and kick him where it hurts the most before dragging him here."

"H-Hai." Sakura replied before bowing slightly, and then she walked out of the apartment through the hole the Hokage had made. Tsunade, on the contrary, crossed her arms as she watched Sasuke give one step backwards.

"Sasuke, I want a good explanation for you to be here." Tsunade started, still in the same strong tone of voice, but Sasuke just continued to stare at her with Sharingan. "Suki is a suspect, no permission was given to you to come here nor to attack her. You're becoming reckless, and I will not allow you or anyone to disobey me."

"Humph, I came here to waste my time." Sasuke growled, but before he could walk away, Tsunade walked towards him, her arms still pressed against her chest, a blank expression on her face.

"I don't know what's going on with you, Sasuke, but you are not to defy me again." the Hokage started, and Sasuke looked at her, his eyes now onyx-black again. "Go to my office tomorrow morning; we need to have a serious talk."

"Whatever."

Without bothering to say anything else, Sasuke turned around, and walked out of the apartment using the front door. As soon as Sasuke disappeared though, Sakura emerged from the hole with a drunken Jiraiya, and Tsunade twitched when she saw the man's condition.

"_Soooo_, what did I miss?" Jiraiya asked in a drunken tone, and Tsunade twitched at his question before closing her right fist in front of her face. As a reaction, Sakura stepped away so that she was now standing next to Suki at same time Tsunade walked towards Jiraiya, and did the only thing she could to release her anger.

"YOU IDIOT!"

And Jiraiya was thrown into a wall.

While Tsunade tried her best to calm down after punching Jiraiya on the face, Sasuke was walking through the empty street of Konoha, his hands stuffed into his pockets. He was going to become stronger…he was going to improve more than anyone one…he was going to show everyone that he was better than Uzumaki Naruto and everybody else in that village.

And it was with those thoughts that Sasuke disappeared in the shadows of the night.

»«»«»«

"Ow! Man, this is so troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered as he felt a pair of hands take the bandage that was around his neck and shoulder off, and then he sighed. "It sucks to be here again."

"I-I'm sorry, Shikamaru-san, if I was a stronger, I would have helped you…" Hana apologized as she continued taking the bandage off, her fingers gently touching the white cloth. "I just…I'm not really a good shinobi."

"Man, I already told you to stop that." Shikamaru started as he glanced at the girl by the corner of his eyes, but Hana did not look back as she put the bandage away. "Just stop with the excuses, alright? I did what I was supposed to do, even though it was troublesome."

"Well, I…I haven't thanked you yet." Hana commented as she turned to Shikamaru again, holding a cleaned bandaged with her left hand, but then she rested her hand on Shikamaru's arm, and winced at what she saw. "You saved my life, but these wounds…I can't help but think I should have tried to do something…"

"Women…" Shikamaru muttered while shaking his head slightly, but he looked down when he felt Hana's fingers caress the outline of the wound on his neck. "I already told you, it was my job, and I already said I'm going to help you t-"

"Mizu Hogo…" Hana whispered, and Shikamaru closed his eyes when he felt something cold wrap around his wound, but he looked at the girl when he felt her wrap his lesion with the bandage. "I hope this helps you."

"What did you do?" Shikamaru questioned as he rose his arm a little to help Hana to bandage his side, and Hana glanced at him before blushing slightly.

"That's the only thing I can do; Water Care or Protection if you prefer." Hana explained while Shikamaru continued to stare at her. "Others call it Water Shelter, but it basically works as a shield of water."

"Interesting…"

"But like I said, it's the only thing I can do." Hana finished before straightening up when her job was done. "Well, this is all set; I think Shizune-san is going to come here later to check on your wounds again."

"Humph, thanks." Shikamaru thanked while looking away, and with a small smile Hana reached out for the crutch that was lying against the bed, but before she could limp away, Shikamaru grabbed her wrist.

"What's in that book?" the boy questioned suddenly as he leaned against his pillow, his eyes closed, and Hana turned to him with a blink. "And don't give me that troublesome look, you know exactly what I'm talking about."

"My father gave it to me." Hana started as she continued to maintain her balance by using the crutch since Shikamaru was still holding her wrist. "He…he gave it to me on the day I believed he had accepted me as a medical-nin rather than a ninja."

Slowly Shikamaru opened his left eye, and noticed that Hana was staring at his bed, a strange look on her face. With a bored sigh, he let go off her wrist, and motioned for her to sit on the mattress, which Hana ended up doing so after a long moment in silence.

"But that doesn't matter now, the book…well, it's kind of like the one your family has." Hana continued after sitting down, her right leg extended due to her injury, and Shikamaru stared at her. "My father was the one who…kind of put all the information together, that's why I…well, I care for it so much, because….oh, this is silly…"

"No, it's troublesome." Shikamaru corrected before sighing when Hana sent him a confused look. "Listen, since we have nothing better to do what about you telling me about your ability to control water?"

"Well, I…what are you doing?" Hana asked when she saw Shikamaru stand up from the bed, only to crouch down, the tip of his fingers touching while his eyes were closed. "Shikamaru-san, I really don't think you-"

"Just tell me about your abilities." Shikamaru cut off without opening his eyes, and Hana blinked before nodding. "I'll form a schedule for you as soon as you finish. Now stop being so troublesome, and start."

"Okay…" Hana took a deep breathe, but before she could continue, two voices echoed through the hall, and entered in the room even though the door was closed.

"_Idiot, why didn't you tell me you had been injured?" _

"Never thought you would be bothered by it."

"Seriously, you're such an idiot. How could you let a kitty actually touch you?"

"_In case you didn't notice, that kitty proved out to be a deadly panther." _

"Ah, shut up Hatake, you're a disgrace to all ninja!"

When a sigh was heard Hana and Shikamaru shared a look, but it was only when the voices trailed off that Hana raised a hand to her lips, and started giggling softly. Shikamaru, on the other hand, sighed; was it just him, or women were indeed becoming more impertinent and bossy?

However, when a soft giggle reached his ears, Shikamaru gazed at Hana, who was looking down, still giggling to herself, a soft pink colour on her pale cheeks. And then he sighed again; women were simply too troublesome for him even to understand one small part of their strange nature.

And Fuzen Hana was simply another strange woman that had stepped into his life.

"C'mon, lets try this again." Shikamaru spoke suddenly, and Hana looked at him in time to see the boy back to his 'thinking position'. "Just start talking to me, and at the end I'll decide what's the best for you to train."

"Alright."

At same time Hana started speaking about her connection with water, Shikamaru listening to her every word attentively, two brown coats were blowing at the wind. One growl was heard, and one pale hand emerged from the dark cloth to caress the head of the panther.

"It's time."

»«»«»«

"I swear I didn't need this now." Tsunade groaned as she pressed her fingers to her temples as she felt a headache starting to develop. "So, I was told your name is Anei Tora, and that you came here to terrorize my village, and to try to take Suki away in the middle of the commotion."

"Got to say yes to the first, but no to the second." Tora started, not moving since he was in the middle of four ANBU members, and Tsunade raised an eyebrow, and the boy shrugged. "You see, Suki decided to leave us…she betrayed us if you want to be more blunt, so I seriously don't care about what she does."

"So, you just came here to show Orochimaru that you're not as hopeless as he thought when he abandoned you?" Tsunade questioned, and Tora nodded. "And you got caught because you were what? Too stupid to actually believe you could beat two Jounin?"

"Well, actually I was just checking the girl out, but they sensed me, so I just couldn't give myself in." Tora retorted, and Tsunade sighed at his words; was it just her or every guy was following Jiraiya's footsteps? "I knew I wasn't going to be able to beat them, but hey, at least I tried."

"So, you're just a poor soul, who unfortunately encountered two Jounin?" Tsunade questioned, and Tora shrugged. "Tell me what are the plans Orochimaru may have towards this village, and your sentence may be smoother."

"Sorry, no can do." Tora replied, shaking his head slightly, and Tsunade rested her elbows on the desk, her fingers entwined in front of her lips as she continued to stare at the boy. "I'm not a traitor like Suki; I prefer to die to betray my friends."

"Tsunade-sama…" Shizune spoke from beside the Hokage, who simply continued to stare at Tora, who glared back.

"Are you aware of what will happen to you if you don't cooperate?" Tsunade questioned, and Tora sighed but did not answer. "Do you really believe that Orochimaru will help you after this? After all, you _were_ caught."

"Listen, no matter what may happen, it probably won't be any different from what I went through when I was younger." Tora started with a small shrug, but the blonde woman just continued to stare at him. "Suki probably didn't tell you, but her mother was the last experiment to die. While she was alive, we – the children – went through hell; we were forced to be like guinea-pigs, but we didn't mind because we wanted to become stronger."

"Still, Orochimaru did leave you to die." Tsunade pointed out.

"Well, that may be true, but we survived for a reason." Tora continued, his voice more controlled and deep. "We survived because we want to show Orochimaru that the Anei clan is worth of his time, and that we're as good or perhaps even better than his followers."

"I must ask, aren't you a bit too conceited?" Tsunade questioned before sighing, "Or perhaps you're just stupid, but at least you can't say I didn't give you the opportunity to change your future. You are to be locked up until I decide what's better to do with you."

"Wait!" Tora exclaimed when the four ANBU members approached him, and Tsunade turned to him. "You will never be able to stop us, and Suki…she'll probably escape from here if she sees that you won't believe in her. And trust me, even though I may be locked up for the rest of my life, one day you'll see that we are not simple dreamers. We will be known in every country, and even if only one of us survives…the survivor will become the greatest of all."

"Take him now." Tsunade said with a small wave of her hand, and after a short nod, the ANBU group disappeared, taking Tora with them, and only then did the Hokage sigh. "I seriously don't know what to think…"

"Tsunade-sama, what do you think we should do now?" Shizune questioned, but the older woman simply sighed again. "I mean, this is obviously out of control, and the way Tora spoke…do you think all of them are insane?"

"No, Suki is a very logical person." Tsunade started, shaking her head slightly. "I believe that something happened to her team mates, that's obvious, but I refuse to believe all of them are insane. Especially since Suki has proven to be far smarter than she first appeared to be."

"Speaking of Suki, what are you going to do about Sasuke?" Shizune inquired, and Tsunade sighed for the third time. "I mean, are you going to give him a lecture? Are you going to punish him?"

"I want to talk to him before deciding what to do." Tsunade spoke after a few moments in silence, and Shizune blinked. "I'm sure he would have killed Suki if I hadn't show up, and what he did doesn't have any excuse, but I still want to hear whatever he has to say before punishing him."

"And are you certain that Sasuke is going to come?" Shizune questioned, and Tsunade glanced at her before standing up, and turn to the windows behind her. "I mean, we all know how Sasuke is when it comes to this kind of thing."

"I sent Sakura; I'm certain she'll bring him here." Tsunade retorted before narrowing her eyes as she focused her attention on the sky, watching as clouds continued to offer some shade to the earth.

And for some reason Tsunade was not sure about Sasuke anymore.

On the meantime, Sakura was walking towards Sasuke's apartment with Lee, who she had crossed with on the way. The boy had immediately asked her if he could accompany her, saying that walking was also a good exercise to his legs, and since Lee had sounded so convincing, Sakura had not been able to say no.

Unfortunately, despite all Lee's attempts to be funny, Sakura simply did not feel like laughing. Not after the previous night, when she had witnessed Sasuke attacking Suki…when she had seen how Sasuke was feeling on the inside. And on that moment Sakura had felt sad and angry at same time; sad because she had failed to help Sasuke, and angry because he simply kept pushing her away in order to do stupid things.

'_Sasuke-kun, you can be an idiot sometimes.'_ Sakura thought as she continued to stare at the path ahead of her, Lee chatting about something beside her. Yes, Sakura had to admit that no matter what he said, Sasuke did seem to be as reckless as Naruto sometimes. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why they clashed so much.

At that thought Sakura sighed, not noticing that such action had caught Lee's attention. Sometimes Sakura did hope Sasuke could be more…open like Naruto; not a loudmouth, but still a bit more social. Of course that one of the reasons why she liked Sasuke was his silent manner, but sometimes Sakura thought it was a bit too much.

And that was one of those moments.

"Eh, Sakura-san, is everything alright?" Lee questioned suddenly, and Sakura snapped from her thoughts to look at him in confusion. "You look rather troubled; do you want to tell me what's going on?"

"Oh, nothing." Sakura answered tiredly, but she sighed when Lee sent her a knowing look. "I'm just thinking about Sasuke-kun. What he did last night…it was so scary to see him like that you know? I'm worried that he might end up doing something foolish."

"If he does, I'm sure you'll be there to give him a hand." Lee commented suddenly, and Sakura looked surprised at him. "I mean…c'mon, everyone in Konoha – Sasuke included – knows that you like him, and I'm positive Sasuke knows you'll always be around if he needs anything."

"I know, and I want to believe in you, but…" Sakura clenched her right fist as they continued walking towards Sasuke's apartment. "Ever since Hinata was attacked that I have been… There is a feeling that keeps telling me that something is going to happen. Something bad, and that will separate me from Sasuke-kun."

"Don't think that way, Sakura-san, besides this is Sasuke we're talking about." Lee pointed out, but Sakura's fist continued closed tightly. "He's not stupid enough to believe that he has to do something foolish in order to improve; you get better through hard work."

Sakura was about to reply when she noticed something in front of her, and she quickly stopped her tracks. Not too far from her was Sasuke, walking side-by-side with someone hidden by a dark brown coat and hood; they were walking away, but when Sakura was about to go after them, someone else appeared in front of her, blocking her way.

"So, you must be Sakura." a voice commented, and Sakura looked away from Sasuke's back to the person who had showed up in the middle of the street. "And the guy with the weird haircut must be Rock Lee."

"And you are…?" Lee questioned, and Sakura felt him tense up even though he was still standing still beside her, his arms resting on his sides, and suddenly a dark skinned hand emerged from under the coat.

"I'm probably someone you never heard of." the person stated as dark fingers touched the hood, and pulled it down consequently making a long pale lavender coloured hair fall down, silver streaks becoming more visible under the sunlight. Sakura also tensed up though, when her eyes meet a pair of pale turquoise coloured eyes. "My name is Anei Naito."

"Anei?" Sakura repeated, and the girl smirked as she took her coat off, allowing it to fall at her feet, and Sakura could not help but blink at her outfit; how on earth could someone fight with a skirt that had two slits that went up to the thighs? "What do you want with Sasuke-kun?"

"Oh, your powers of observation are just wonderful." Naito pointed out with a smirk, and Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Sorry, but Uchiha isn't on my list at the moment; all I want is Tokui back."

"And…who's Tokui?" Lee questioned, and Sakura shrugged, but both of them were in fighting stance when Naito rose her right hand, revealing a Chigiriki… a 2 foot long straight stick, with a 2-1/2 chain attached to the top with a ball with spikes, but the chain could be fitted in side the stick, and used as a mace.

"You know, we don't actually have time for this." Lee started, but he trailed off when Sakura rose a hand, her eyes never leaving Naito's.

That was it; the reason why Sakura had been feeling as if Sasuke could slip away from her at any moment. That was the moment when Sakura would understand if she was indeed going to lose Sasuke or not.

"Let me handle this, Lee, on the meantime, I want you to go call Tsunade-sama." Sakura spoke, but when Lee opened his mouth to retort, the girl continued. "Trust me, I'll be fine; it's time to show that I'm not just a medical-nin."

"Very well, I'll come back in a flash." Lee replied, but Sakura only nodded, never looking over her shoulder when the boy started running away.

"Tsk, feeling that confident honey?" Naito questioned, but Sakura simply took a pair of black gloves from her pouch before putting them on, her eyes locked with the other girl's. "Very well, I guess I'll have to find Tokui through the hard way."

"You can bet on that." Sakura replied calmly, now in fighting stance, and Naito narrowed her eyes. "Show me what you've got."

And a fight was on.

**To Be Continued…**


	17. Leafs in the Wind

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and the unknown characters.

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I want to thank to **SGCred**, **city with no people**, **Bella-Rose01**, **Jojibear** and **TwinPsychos** for everything! You guys have been awesome with me! I would also want to ask you (and the ghost readers) **if you guys are interested in a** **_sequel_**. I would really appreciate if someone told me _yes_ or _no_, just so that I have an idea of what my readers want. Thanks for the attention, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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**Chapter 16**

Leafs in the Wind

With a bored sigh, Suki sat down on the floor in Indian-style, and closed her eyes. She had been sent to that office half an hour ago, but it seemed that she had been forgotten. Not that it bothered her, but there was indeed something that was getting to her. Well, it was not one thing, but many that altogether were driving her inside; first, when she had decided to go to Konoha, she had been expecting to become a suspect, but not for so long. Secondly, it was obvious that no one was actually taking her seriously even though more people had been attacked. And thirdly…that was the most important thing of all; Suki could sense _them_.

She could sense the other survivors of the Anei clan, and she did not enjoy that one bit mostly because their presence meant everything except peace.

"What are you doing on the floor?" a voice questioned suddenly, and Suki opened her eyes before looking over her shoulder only to see Tsunade standing there, a hand on the doorknob. "Get up."

"So, why was I so kindly shoved into this place?" Suki questioned after getting to her feet, but instead of answering her, Tsunade walked to her desk after closing the door, and silently sat on her chair. "You haven't done anything, have you?"

"Are you asking me about Sasuke or about me doing something in relation to the story you told us?"

"Both." Suki retorted as she crossed her arms against her chest, but Tsunade simply leaned against her chair, her eyes locked with the girl's. "I know they're here, you know? And I also know that something must have happened."

"When you mean 'they', you mean your team mates I presume." Tsunade stated, but Suki did not reply. "The people you betrayed when you came to Konoha and such?"

"I guess you met Tora for you to be using such words." Suki commented suddenly, and Tsunade arched an eyebrow slightly, making the girl shrug slightly. "He's the one only one who would call me traitor. The other ones…their language would be slightly different."

"So, if you know to whom I talked to, I take it that you know what he said." Tsunade started, but once again Suki did not reply. "You know, I find it strange for you to be the only one who actually had the guts to come to Konoha, ask for our help. And the fact we just caught one of your friends doesn't really help you to change to my good side."

"Knowing Tora, I'm sure some girl caught his attention." Suki observed before shaking her head slightly. "He is the pervert of our group, and at the sight of any pretty girl he stops focusing on the battle. He always ends up embarrassing himself somehow."

"And you expect me to allow you to become a…well seen person when we just caught a friend of yours, who made it clear that he was not going to betray his friends like you did?" Tsunade questioned, and Suki sighed; what was it with that question?

"Like I keep saying ever since the beginning, when I showed up I wasn't expecting you to beli-"

"If you don't, then you should." Tsunade finished, and Suki closed her mouth at the words; what was that again? "I must say I still don't want to have you wandering alone, but you have proven me that perhaps you _are_ here to help us."

"I'm afraid I don't see how I managed to accomplish such thing." Suki retorted, a hint of sarcasm in her words, and Tsunade smirked at her before standing up, and walk around the desk before leaning against it.

"Reason number one; you helped Hinata; at the beginning it was suspicious, but now I changed my mind." Tsunade started, with one finger up before raising another one. "Reason number two; I know you didn't run away from the cell when Shikamaru and Hana were attacked." Tsunade rose a third finger. "Reason number three, you never escaped from the apartment, even though we both knew no one was guarding you at a certain point." Tsunade rose a fourth finger. "Reason number four, you kept fighting against Sasuke, when you could have used the window to run away." Tsunade rose the last finger. "Reason number five, you're still here."

"Are you saying I actually got to your good side by doing…nothing?" Suki questioned, and Tsunade chuckled at the question. "I swear if I had known people from Konoha were this insane…"

"Well, but I won't have you wandering through Konoha alone." Tsunade spoke suddenly, and Suki raised an eyebrow at the words. "Sorry, you may be on my good side, but things are too chaotic for me to offer my trust like that. You may come in!"

"So I'll have a bodyguard following me around?" Suki questioned before turning around when a _knock_ was heard, and she rolled her eyes when the person walked inside. "Oh, I'm going to have an idiot watching over my back."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kiba questioned suddenly, Akamaru emerging from behind him, and Tsunade shook her head when she heard Suki mutter something about having to be around a dim-witted guy.

"_Tsunade-sama!"_ a voice shouted suddenly, the door of the office being opened so quickly that it slammed against the wall at same time both Shizune and Lee appeared. "Tsunade-sama, come! We have a problem!"

"What's happening now?" Tsunade questioned, now looking fully alert, but Suki narrowed her eyes when she looked from Shizune to Lee; something was wrong…

"It's Sakura, Tsunade-sama! She's fighting a member from the Anei clan!" Shizune exclaimed rather agitated, and the Hokage immediately straightened up, a look of determination on her face.

"You're coming with us." Tsunade spoke as she glanced at Suki, who simply nodded before watching the Hokage storm out of the office, Shizune following her closely. _"Kiba, you come too!"  
_  
"So, I guess I'm going to have you following me around like a shadow." Suki commented when Kiba sent her a warning look. "Gee, don't I feel special now?"

"Will you stop complaining, and start moving?" Kiba questioned annoyed, but Suki rolled her eyes. "I'm not happy for having to be your bodyguard if you really must know. For me, I would be kicking some asses right now."

"Seriously, dear, you're going to have to teach me how on earth you're able to handle him every day." Suki spoke suddenly, and Kiba raised an eyebrow as the two of them started following Tsunade and Shizune, and then Suki added. "I was talking to your dog, by the way."

At that Kiba growled, and Akamaru barked.

»«»«»«

"So, I guess that if you don't attack me, I'll have to be the first." Sakura commented with a small shrug, but Naito just continued to stare at her. "Don't say I didn't warn you though."

As soon as those words were left hanging on the air, Sakura rose her right fist before hitting the ground, creating a huge fissure that went from her position towards Naito, who jumped into the air. With a smirk, Sakura hit the ground again, and this time holes emerged everywhere while blocks of earth went up or down throughout the whole street.

"I guess you're not as delicate as your name stands out." Naito commented with a smirk, but Sakura simply stared at her, not looking tired from what she had just done. "Tsk, all this because of one guy."

"What do you want with Sasuke-kun anyway?" Sakura asked as she bend down on her knees in order not to be hit by the Chigirki, especially the ball with spikes, and she hit the ground again with her fist, creating another deep fissure when she noticed where Naito was standing. "You're not going to take him away!"

"No, of course not dear, like I said, all I want is Tokui." Naito retorted, and for a moment Sakura could not help but wonder who the heck was Tokui. "And perhaps, while we're fighting, you could tell me where Tora is?"

The answer was another deep crack on the ground, and Naito chuckled.

"Perhaps not."

"I told you, if you want answers, you'll have to defeat me." Sakura started, resting a hand on her hip, a smirk on her face. "But as you can see, it won't be easy." she added, glancing at the destroyed ground, and Naito smirked back at her.

"Well, we can change that, can't we?" Naito questioned, and Sakura was back in fighting stance when she saw the girl making hand seals

"Shunshin no Jutsu!"

'_A high speed movement technique!'_ Sakura shouted in her mind as she watched a cloud of smoke appear on the spot where Naito had once been, but before Sakura could even more, Naito appeared in front of her.

"Hello."

Sakura was only able to watch Naito move the Chigiriki around, the chain now on the side of the stick in order to be used as a mace, and as reaction Sakura crossed her arms in front of her face. When Sakura was hit, Naito smirked, but the black girl blinked when there was a puff of smoke, and a piece of wood appeared on the spot where Sakura had once been.

"I'm sure you're familiarized with Kawarimi no Jutsu." Sakura questioned, and Naito twirled around only to see the pink haired girl standing behind her. "I must admit you have the speed, but you definitely don't have the muscles."

"What about you putting your strength where your mouth is?" Naito questioned, twirling the chain around. "And trust me honey, your muscles won't be enough to save you from this fight."

"We shall see." Sakura retorted, and then she immediately started making hand seals, a determined look on her face. "Shōsen Jutsu."

"Ah, so you want to reach my organs and muscles, eh?" Naito questioned, but Sakura simply continued to stare at her while a blue colored chakra surrounded her hands, and then she was back into fighting stance. "Sorry honey, but you aren't going to touch me any time soon."

"What about you putting your strength where your mouth is?" Sakura questioned, and Naito narrowed her eyes in anger at the taunting tone. "After all, I'm here to fight, not to chat."

"Very well." Naito spoke as she took a small scroll that was resting on her lower back, and without ever taking her eyes from Sakura, she opened it before biting her thumb and cross the scroll with her blood. "Tobidōgu!"

Suddenly a six feet long Bo emerged in Naito's hands, and Sakura narrowed her eyes when she saw that her opponent was holding the Bo and the Chigiriki. That was rather strange, since both weapons required two hands in order to be wielded, but Sakura knew better than meditate about that.

"So, shall we dance?" Naito questioned suddenly, and Sakura did not wait to be told twice before rushing towards her, ready to strike. And the most amazing was that Sakura simply did not understand how the two of them were actually managing to block and attack each other.

Every time she aimed to a part of Naito's body, the other girl would either use the Chigiriki to hit her arms or use the Bo to jump in order direction. Sakura, on the other hand, kept using her legs to bend or jump every time Naito tried to hit her with her weapons.

That fight did indeed resemble to a dance. One attacked, the other defended…one weapon sliced the air, one hand tried to damage flesh and skin without actually making any visible damage.

"So, this is it?" Naito questioned as she flipped backwards, and Sakura saw her throwing the Chigiriki aside so that she was now holding the Bo, and then she took a deep breath. "Tsk, I was expecting more from the Konoha ninja."

"You want more? I'll give you more!" Sakura shouted, rushing at full speed towards the dark skinned girl, who simply shook her head before twirling the Bo again, and then raise the top of the Bo at full speed. Sakura, consequently, was forced to bend down in order to prevent being hit on the chin.

"Wrong move, sugar." Naito taunted, and Sakura opened her eyes wide when she saw Naito swing her leg around in a semicircular motion before striking with the front of her foot.

With a small cry Sakura felt herself being thrown into the air, but she gasped when she saw Naito get up in lightning speed before kicking her on the side with a reverse roundhouse kick. With a small gasp in pain, Sakura felt herself being thrown to the side, but she could not help but gasp again, this time in surprise, when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her torso before she could hit a brick wall.

"You know, I can't forgive you for what you just did." Lee spoke suddenly, still holding Sakura in his arms, but Naito just continued to stare at him. "To hit an opponent when he's already down is a disgrace to all ninja."

"Yeah, sure, why don't you just cut that crap already, and say that you're going to punish me for bruising your girl?" Naito questioned still in the same pose, and despite the pain she was feeling, Sakura felt Lee tense up.

"By the power of the eternal youth, you are going to regret those words!" Lee exclaimed before crouching down so that he could help Sakura to sit down on the ground while Naito rolled her eyes.

"Lee-san…"

"Don't worry Sakura-san, everything will be alright." Lee spoke with a small smile, but Sakura continued to stare worriedly at him. "I'm not going to lose to this girl: not after what she just did to you."

"Mind stop being so mushy?" Naito questioned exasperated, and after glaring at her, Lee did stand up from the ground, and was immediately in fighting stance. "You know, I've always wanted to fight you, Rock Lee. Shall we?"

"First, allow me to say that it goes against my ninja way to fight girls." Lee started calmly, and Naito blinked at his words. "But since you attacked Sakura-san when she was already out, then I must say I won't forgive you."

"Yeah, sure, whatever, just cut that crap about men not fighting women, and start the show." Naito retorted, and Lee shouted a 'YOSH!' before starting to run towards her.

_"LEE!"_ a voice shouted suddenly, making the boy lose his balance and fall down right on his face with a 'yelp', and both Naito and Sakura stared at Lee on the ground before sweatdropping. "Lee, my beautiful student, you shall never raise a finger against a woman!"

"Gai-sensei!" Lee shouted suddenly after standing up, and he smiled widely when he saw his sensei running towards him. "Gai-sensei, I have to show her that the beauty of youth will be eternal!"

"Lee!" Gai shouted when he was inches away from his student, and everyone stared at the two of them confusedly only to sweatdrop when Gai suddenly punched Lee on the cheek, sending his beloved student through the air. "Don't you ever lay a finger on a woman, even when she's your opponent!"

"Gai, when I told you to come, it was not for you to punch your student!" Tsunade exclaimed, hitting the taller man on the head, and Gai winced at his mistake. "And you, what the hell are you doing in Konoha?"

"Well, you kind of invited me in when you took Tokui away from me." Naito pointed out as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, a streak caressing her dark cheeks, and Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "So, basically, what happened here was pretty much your fault."

"Who the heck are you, and who's Tokui?" Tsunade questioned as Shizune appeared beside her, staring at the destroyed road with widened eyes before rushing to Sakura's side to see if she was alright.

"Naito." Suki spoke suddenly, emerging from behind Tsunade, Kiba and Akamaru following her closely, and the dark skinned girl turned to her. "I was hoping you were far more intelligent than Tora, but I can see I was mistaken."

"Your powers of observation are outstanding, dear." Naito stated in a sarcastic tone before noticing who was standing behind Suki, and then she narrowed her eyes. "What's this? You not only betrayed us, but also your blood? You're a disgrace to our clan!"

"I don't think you should be talking about that; I'm sure you won't like the discussion if I actually answer you back." Suki replied calmly, ignoring the glare Kiba was sending her way, and Naito snorted.

"Where's Tokui?"

"The Hokage sent her to a place to be studied." Suki replied before glancing at Tsunade. "Tokui is a black panther with red eyes. It was the panther that attacked the hospital on the other night."

"Ah yes, well, if you want to know where your animal is, then you should turn yourself in." Tsunade spoke, turning to Naito. "But then again, even if you didn't, they wouldn't let you go away."

Still without freaking out, Naito gazed around, and saw various ANBU members on top of trees and buildings. Then, she sighed, but kept quiet although she continued to held the Bo close to her side.

"Even if only one of us survives to this," Naito spoke when four ANBU members appeared behind her, and Tsunade stared at her, "the one who survives, will be the greatest member of the Anei clan, and you Suki, will forever regret turning your back to us."

»«»«»«

In silence Sasuke continued to follow the hidden person towards a deserted area close to the west gates of Konoha. They had barely changed words, but Sasuke was already certain that whoever was next to him knew who he was, and what he wanted. Why he was so sure about it, Sasuke could not really explain…he just knew.

"What do you want?" Sasuke questioned when the other person stopped walking, and he turned to him. "How do you know who I am?"

"The first question should be; _who_ are you?" the other person questioned, and Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the deep voice, and then a pale hand emerged from the coat in order to lower the hood. "But who am I it's not the right question, for I shall give you no answer."

A pair of deep grey eyes meet Sasuke's onyx-black ones while the wind started to caress the long black streaks that fell down the other man's shoulders, dark purple streaks concealing his eyes slightly. Sasuke could not help but sense the power that the man seemed to held inside as the two of them continued staring at each other.

"What do you want from me?" Sasuke questioned in a cold voice, but the other boy just smirked at him. "How do you know who I am?"

"I'm sure everyone has heard the tales of the last living member of the Uchiha clan." the other boy started, and Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly. "And I came here simply because I know what you're looking for. You see, Sasuke, people like you and I…we need more than a simple village to welcome us."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm pretty much like you; silent yet observant. Quiet, never revealing any emotions until the climax of a battle." the boy started in his deep voice, and Sasuke continued to stare at him. "You and I look for better ways of improving, but we're still searching for the path that will take us to immortality."

"I never said I wanted to be immortal."

"Ah, but I never explained how you would become immortal." the other boy started calmly, and Sasuke stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I'm talking about _that_ way of becoming immortal."

Suddenly the boy stared to his left, and Sasuke followed his gaze only to find himself staring at the faces of the First, Second, Third and Fourth Hokages. He wanted to be remembered like they were? For some reason that sounded farfetched.

"I'm not interested." Sasuke retorted in his usual cold voice, and the other boy smirked before turning to him. "I have no interest in becoming a Hokage. I want to become the strongest, but being the Hokage doesn't appeal me."

"Ah, but I never said anything about becoming the next Hokage." the other boy started matter-of-factly, and Sasuke rose an eyebrow very slightly. "I was questioning about what you think about leaving this village, and start your path towards power? After all, it doesn't seem to me as if this village has more to offer you."

"What if I refuse?"

"Then there's nothing I can do about it." the boy answered with a small shrug, and Sasuke narrowed his eyes even more. "But I'm sure you'll miss a great adventure, through which you'll become stronger."

"Why me?"

"I already answered that question." the boy started, a small smirk on his face, "Because you're Uchiha Sasuke, and because I'm positive your wish to become greater has increased ever since you failed that mission of yours."

"How do you know about that mission?" Sasuke growled, as he took his hands off his pockets, revealing his closed fists, but the other boy just stared at his eyes. "Answer me!"

Suddenly a growl was heard, and Sasuke looked behind the other boy only to see a black panther approaching, its black eyes locked with his form. The animal also seemed to emanate a strange aura, and then Sasuke widened his eyes in surprise.

The penetrating eyes of his dreams…

"You!" Sasuke exclaimed, immediately grabbing a kunai, but the other boy did not move nor did the panther growl. "What the hell do you want with me?"

"I was hoping you accepted to make a trade with me." the other boy started calmly, his eyes locked with Sasuke's, and then he cuddled the panther's head. "You give me the darkness within you, and I will give you all the power you want."

Suddenly those words were carried away by the wind, dancing with leaves that had been freed from branches, but Sasuke just continued to stare at the boy for a long moment. Then, when a leave fell in front of his feet, Sasuke lowered his kunai, and the other boy smirked.

**To Be Continued…**


	18. Estranged Paths

**Disclaimer:** So, I own the plot and then unknown characters.

»«»«»«

I want to thank to **BellaRose**, **city with no people**, **star's dreams**, **Jojibear**, **Twin Psychos** _and_ **Terenin** for everything guys! Honestly, your support means the world to me. I also want to leave here my appreciation to **Konnichiwa Minna**.

**Chapter 17**

Estranged Paths

With a content sigh, Hinata laid down on the grass, her pale eyes locked with the sky and clouds. A soft wind was playing with the grass as it also danced with leafs, caressing the girl's pale cheeks and long hair. It felt good just to lie there after a whole morning training like crazy, and it felt even better to feel her aching members relax with help of the sun and wind.

However, when Hinata was slowly drifting off to sleep, her mind went back in time, and recalled what had happened on the faithful night, like Hinata usually called it. She could still remember Naruto telling her his past, she could still remember how she had felt after listening to his story…and she definitely remembered how hormones had taken over her brain, and had made her hug the blond.

At the memory, Hinata felt herself go red. It was amazing how Naruto made her blush even for just recalling something that had happened in the past, but it was also amazing how Hinata never took profit of those times to be honest with the boy. But, at same time, it was not as if she could; Naruto was simply out of her league.

"The Kyuubi…" Hinata whispered as she closed her eyes, and took a deep breath in. She just did not get it; sure Naruto had been a troublesome child, but he was supposed to be seen as a hero and not as a monster like everybody else in the village called him. Hinata simply did not understand why people could not see Naruto as an individual.

But then again, it seemed as if people did not even see themselves let alone seeing someone else.

"Hinata!" a voice shouted suddenly, and the girl sat up immediately at same time she felt blood rushing up to her cheeks. She knew that voice too well… "There you are, I looked everywhere for you!"

"N-Naruto-kun, d-did something happen?" Hinata asked as she looked to her side only to go even redder when she noticed the boy was right next to her, his face inches away from her. And it did take all Hinata's willpower not to faint on that instant.

"Hinata, I need your help!" Naruto exclaimed animatedly, and Hinata could not help but feel relieved when she noticed that he had returned to his usual bouncy and vivacious self. "I just talked to Ero-sennin, and he advised me to do something, but I don't want to do it alone, so…I thought about you!"

"I err…you need my help?" Hinata questioned, and Naruto nodded as he smiled at her, but Hinata could not help but notice that his smile did not reach his eyes. "I…hum, if I can help…"

"Of course you can." Naruto started, the smile still on his face, and then he sat down before raising his knee so that he could rest his elbow on it. "You see, Ero-sennin advised me to be honest with everyone, and hum…well, I kind of need to tell Shikamaru and Hana that I'm sorry, so…I guess what I wanted to ask is…will be you with me when I tell them?"

"M-Me?" Hinata asked, feeling her heartbeat starting to increase while Naruto nodded before gazing at the sky, and the girl blushed again. "S-sure, I don't see why not. I know this is probably difficult for you to talk about."

As she glanced at Naruto, Hinata found herself twiddling her fingers in nervousness. There was nothing romantically involved in Naruto's request, but Hinata could not help but feel special. After all, Naruto could have requested for someone else's presence, such as Kakashi or Tsunade's, but no…he had asked for hers.

"Thank you so much, Hinata, I swear I would be lost without you!" Naruto exclaimed, and Hinata felt her breath get stuck in her throat when he rested a hand on her arm. "Man, I don't know what's going on; years ago we wouldn't even look at each other, and now I'm asking you to be next to me when I tell my biggest secret to everyone else."

"Y-you can call someone else to go with you i-if you prefer." Hinata spoke before she could control herself, and Naruto stared at her, the smile wiped from his face. "I-I mean, this _is_ your biggest secret, and we…"

"Nonsense, I don't know why, but I like to be around you, Hinata!" Naruto exclaimed, making the girl blush even harder. "But you really need to explain me something, because I just can't understand. I err…why do you always blush when I'm around you? Are you allergic to me? Is it my clothes or something?"

"No!" Hinata exclaimed, blood rushing up to her cheeks as it also spread through her neck, and the boy scratched the back of his head. "I err….I just… When do you want to talk to everyone about the Kyuubi?"

"Well, I was thinking about today." Naruto started as Hinata started twiddling her fingers again; she had just lost a good chance to tell Naruto her feelings for him due to her shyness. "I mean, the sooner the better, and err…I really want to tell Shikamaru and Hana that I'm sorry, so…"

"D-Do you want me to talk to the guys"?" Hinata asked suddenly, and Naruto blinked at the question before staring weirdly at her, and Hinata looked down as she blushed. "I-I mean, its probably easier no? We just need to think of a place where you could tell everyone."

"Well, I was thinking about Tsunade-basan's office." Naruto started after a small shrug. "We all fit there, and if anyone has a heart attack we'll already have the best medical-nin close to us, so…what do you think?"

"I-I think it's a good decision." Hinata replied with a short nod, but then she felt herself do something she would never dream of; she rested her hand on top of Naruto's. Now, why on earth was she being so bold, Hinata did not understand, but she knew the best thing to do now was to try not to faint. "I'm sure everyone will support you, Naruto-kun."

"You really think so?" Naruto questioned, and Hinata nodded almost immediately. "I mean, I'm not so sure because…well, the older villagers always told their children not to get too close to me, but…I don't know, I guess I need to do it anyway."

"We're not like the elders, Naruto-kun." Hinata whispered as she looked down, and immediately recoiled her hand when she saw that unconsciously she was caressing the boy's hand with her thumb. "Everyone l-likes you."

"Really? You like me?" Naruto questioned, his eyes wide opened, and Hinata felt herself go red, blood pumping at full speed to her cheeks and neck, but she refused to look at the boy as she nodded.

"I-I…"

"Hinata. Naruto." a voice spoke suddenly, and Naruto yelped in surprise at same time Hinata looked over her shoulder only to see Shino there, looking as emotionless as ever. "C'mon, the Hokage needs to talk to us."

"Man, does he always do that?" Naruto hissed as he stood up, Shino already walking ahead of them, and Hinata also got to her feet. "I swear, one day I'm going to have a heart attack, and its going to be his fault."

When she heard those words, Hinata could not help but giggle, although a faint pink color was still on her pale cheeks.

»«»«»«

"So, are you going to stay in Konoha?" Tsunade questioned as she stared at the Jounin leaned against the window behind her while Shizune kept handing some papers to the Hokage. "I believe that with everything that's happening that's the wisest thing to do."

"Well, I'm not a wise person, so what do you think?" Mesi asked back, gazing through the window beside her, and Tsunade glanced at her before continuing to take care of the paperwork. "This isn't my place; I've came only for professional reasons, and now that everything has been taken cared of I can leave."

"Not according to Suki; apparently there's one person left." Tsunade pointed out, but Mesi said nothing. "You and Kakashi should get together and go find this missing person; Suki said he's the strongest of the group."

"Never thought you would be worried about one single person, Tsunade." Mesi commented suddenly, a hint of sarcasm in her words, but the Hokage did not look at her on contrary of Shizune, who glanced at the female Jounin. "The last member of the Anei clan no less."

"Last or not, he's a threat to Konoha, _your_ village." Tsunade stated, and Mesi rolled her eyes before focusing her attention in everything that was happening outside again. "Kakashi, what about putting that book away, and convince your friend to stay?"

"If she wants to leave, then there's nothing I can do." Kakashi replied from outside, and Mesi glanced down at the roof underneath the window-frame to see the male Jounin sitting on the tiles, reading Icha Icha Paradise. "She's old enough to know what she's doing."

"And it's really unlikely for a pervert such as that old man to actually convince me to stay." Mesi spoke suddenly before smirking when she heard Kakashi sigh.

"I already told you, I'm not old."

"Yeah, sure, whatever, hentai."

"It's good to see that some things never change." Tsunade spoke up, interrupting the discussion, and Shizune sighed at the words while Mesi rolled her eyes, and Kakashi turned the page. "Shizune, are we ready for what's going to happen here?"

"Hai. I have already informed Shikamaru and Hana about the meeting, and asked for Shino and Sakura to warn everybody else." Shizune answered with a short nod. "I believe everyone will be here in a matter of minutes. There was just one person I couldn't find…"

"Let me guess, the old pervert." Tsunade questioned though it sounded more like a statement, and when Shizune nodded, the Hokage sighed. "Forget about Jiraiya, I should know better than having him here. He probably already left, and refused to tell me."

"Aww, you really think that low of me?" a voice asked suddenly, and Tsunade twitched when Jiraiya suddenly appeared next to her, his arms pressed against his chest. "You know I wouldn't miss this moment for nothing in this world."

"I still wonder how Naruto is going to do it." Tsunade muttered before glancing at the older man in the office. "Do you know if he told someone already? I think it should be easier for him if he had spoken to someone first."

"I have no idea, but he did keep asking me about what he should do." Jiraiya replied with a small shrug, and Tsunade sighed before looking down at the document Shizune had just handed her. "But I wouldn't be surprised if h-"

Jiraiya trailed off when a _knock_ was heard, and everyone looked at the door only to see Suki and Kiba walk inside, Akamaru following the two young adults closely. However, before Tsunade could question what they were doing there, Ino, Chouji, Sakura, Lee, Neji and Tenten also stepped inside, all of them looking rather confused. It seemed that was indeed time for secrets to be revealed.

"Tsunade-sama, may you tell us what's going on?" Ino questioned suddenly while Chouji grabbed a bag of chips from out of nowhere, and the Hokage glanced at her. "I had to close the shop, and my parents don't even know it."

"Don't worry about that Ino, I just noticed some of your friends are still missing, so we shall wait for them before beginning." Tsunade answered, and everyone shared a look only to step to their sides when the door was opened again and Shikamaru appeared next to a limping Hana. "Has anyone seen Hinata, Naruto or Sasuke?"

"I tried to find Sasuke-kun, but I didn't have any luck." Sakura finally spoke, looking rather worried. "I don't know where he can be. I just hope Naruto finds him before coming here."

"Sakura, please, go look for him." Tsunade requested, and the girl nodded. "I'll let you know what happened here in case you don't arrive in time, but go look for him. Start by his house, if at the end you can't find him, come warn me immediately."

"Hai!" Sakura exclaimed before dashing out of the room, but before someone could ask what was going on, Shino, Hinata and Naruto stepped through the room.

"Ah, you finally arrived." Tsunade spoke, her eyes locked with Naruto, who simply stared at her, looking abnormally quiet and serious, and then the woman motioned him to get closer. "Are you certain this is what you want to do?"

Silently Naruto turned to his friends, his eyes focusing on the bandaged Shikamaru and Hana, who was holding a crutch. A small nod was all that he used to answer to the Hokage's question, and by now even Kakashi had stepped inside the office, and was now standing next to Mesi.

"Naruto, what the heck did you do to put us all in trouble?" Kiba asked suddenly, but he yelped when Suki suddenly elbowed him on the side. "Hey!"

"Just shut it." Suki hissed as Akamaru barked, but Kiba simply glared at the two of them before stuffing his hands into his coat's pockets.

"I err…what I have to say is rather personal but really important." Naruto started after a deep breath, and silently Hinata moved closer to him. "I just want to ask for you not to interrupt me until I'm finished, and hum…I'll understand if you guys hate me afterwards."

"I knew it. He did something that got us all in trouble." Kiba hissed, but he shut up when Suki glared at him. "Fine, shutting up now."

"I err…I also want to tell you all this because I have to ask for forgiveness to some of you." Naruto continued, and Hinata shifted besides him. "I already asked Hinata to forgive me, but I still have to tell Shikamaru and Hana how sorry I am for everything that happened. And I guess I have to ask Sasuke-teme the same, but since he isn't here…"

"Tsk, troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered under his breath, but Naruto simply continued, his eyes now locked with the floor while everyone else was watching him closely.

"I…I don't know how to put this in words, but…" Naruto closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, but he looked to his side when he felt fingers touching his upper arm, and his eyes meet a pair of clear ones. "D-Does anyone of you know when I was born?"

"October 10th." Shikamaru answered after a few moments in silence, and Naruto nodded while Hinata kept her hand on his arm. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Do you know when the…when the Kyuubi disappeared?" Naruto questioned, and this time everyone stared at him in confusion.

"In October the 10th, seventeen years ago." Tenten answered after a pregnant silent, and everyone glanced surprised at her. The girl, however, just shrugged. "My parents told me it was destroyed by the Fourth Hokage, who unfortunately died."

"Yes, but…" Naruto took a deep breath, and glanced behind him to Kakashi, Jiraiya, Mesi and Shizune only to glance finally at Tsunade before turning his attention to Hinata, who smiled weakly at him, and then he gulped. "The Fourth did more than just…save everyone, h-he…" Naruto closed his eyes, and took another deep breath; that was it. That was the moment when everything he loved would be lost… "The Fourth sealed the Kyuubi inside an infant…he used an infant to be the container of the beast, and hum…that baby was…the baby was…" another deep breath, "it was me."

»«»«»«

It was so strange.

It felt as if it did not matter how much she run.

It felt as if it did not matter how much she tried to find him…it felt as if he would always find a way to slip through her fingers like water.

It seemed as if it did not matter if she had suddenly decided not to go to his house, but to the only path that could lead someone away from the village.

It did not matter if the sun was already disappearing behind the tall trees, allowing darkness to swallow every tiny bit of light left by the day. It seemed that no matter how hard she tried, the strange feeling on her gut was going to win…

And she was going to fail to do what she had vowed to do.

She had just turned left when Sakura was forced to stop her tracks before she even had the chance to run over the person that was coming straight at her.

The person she had been searching for.

The person she loved and wished to protect with all she had…

"Sasuke-kun…"

For a moment they did nothing but stare at each other, their eyes locked; bullets of sweat were rolling down Sakura's flushed cheeks as the girl continued to try and calm her heart down, Sasuke doing nothing but watch her, his hands stuffed into his pockets. Unbeknownst to the two of them, a cloud was now soaring over their frozen figures, their eyes neither blinking or looking away.

Until Sakura allowed herself to observe the knapsack on Sasuke's back. However, before Sakura could even part her lips, Sasuke started walking, his eyes now locked with the ground in front of his feet. That was it…the proof that Sakura had failed to do what she had promised to do, and that she had failed to accomplish the mission Tsunade had given her.

"_I want you to keep an eye on those two; you're the only one who has the capability of making them stay here even if in the past you failed to do so."_

"Sasuke-kun, where are you going?" Sakura heard herself ask as she turned to her side, but Sasuke just continued walking. "You can't possibly be thinking about leaving Konoha, much less without telling Tsunade-sama. You know what will happen if you leave with no permission!"

"Go home."

"No! I won't let you leave like that!" Sakura shouted, shaking her head, a clenched fist now resting against her chest. "You can't leave! Much less without explaining why you're leaving! Sasuke-kun, if you leave…if you dare to walk away without talking to Tsunade-sama, you'll…you'll be considerate a missing-nin!"

"Go home." Sasuke calmly ordered again, but when he gave one step forward, Sakura mimicked his actions. "You shouldn't be here; I was told that the dobe has something to tell everyone."

"That's exactly why I'm here!" Sakura exclaimed, her fist still resting against her chest. "Sasuke-kun, if you come with me, I promise I'll never tell you actually tried to leave without saying anything, but if you go…"

"You're going to tell?"

"No! I'll go with you!" Sakura exclaimed in the same tone, and in slow motion Sasuke turned to his side, to look at her. "Just don't leave me, please. I'll do anything to make you stay, please…"

"You and I…Naruto and I…we're too different." Sasuke started coolly, and Sakura stared at his onyx-black eyes as she felt an unpleasant pain start to emerge from the bottom of her stomach up to her heart. "It's time for all of us to chose our own paths."

"But we have always been a team! We have always been together!" Sakura exclaimed, feeling her eyes starting to tear. "You can't possibly be saying that you have forgotten everything! Even if you do, I won't believe it because I know that despite all the fights and misunderstandings you and Naruto have always been closed…we have always been closed to each other!"

"Its time to accept reality." Sasuke retorted, so sharply that Sakura winced at his tone. "It's time for you to accept what you so foolishly tried to ignore. We…Naruto, you and myself…we're all in different stages, and we have different ways of looking at the future. And my way is outside this village."

"No! You can't go!" Sakura shouted as Sasuke turned his back to her, but he stood on the same spot. "Please, that's not true! Whatever you want, I'm certain you can find it here, because its here that everything that you need is!"

"And what is that?" Sasuke questioned before turning around again, and Sakura felt her heart skip a beat when she noticed the malicious smirk on the boy's face. "Friendship? Family? Love?"

"Yes, above all, you have love here!" Sakura exclaimed, and before she knew it, a tear rolled down her face. "Everyone loves you, Sasuke-kun, I…" Sakura felt her heart skip another beat as more tears continued to fall down her cheeks. "You don't need to do everything alone! You don't need to leave when everyone is here. _I_ am here! I want to help you."

"That's not enough, and I never asked anything." Sasuke grunted back, his hands still stuffed into his pockets, and Sakura gave another step forward, tears still rolling down her face; she was going to lose him…

"But I love you!" Sakura finally confessed, the pain bursting from her heart making her shiver slightly. "I-I don't want you to leave! I don't want you to waste your life! Please, don't go! Or if you do, take me with you!"

"Shut up." Sasuke hissed suddenly, and Sakura swallowed hard when their eyes meet again, her chest moving up and down at such quick rate as if she had just finished a race. However, before Sakura could even know what was going on, Sasuke appeared behind her. "Our paths were already estranged when team 7 was created. I'm supposed to follow the path of loneliness and darkness, and you're supposed to stay here with the dobe. Perhaps one day we'll meet again, but I doubt things will ever be the same again."

"No, please…"

"Now run…" Sasuke whispered, and Sakura closed her eyes when she felt his warm breath against her neck. "Run and go tell the Hokage that Uchiha Sasuke has decided which path to tread, and tell the dobe that one day, when he least expects, we'll meet again."

When the last word was carried away by the wind, Sakura turned on her heels, and gasped when she noticed that Sasuke had disappeared. He had left, and he had left her behind…he had slipped through her fingers even though she had opened her heart to him.

One last tear rolled down Sakura's cheek before hitting the ground, carrying with it a bitter and silently melody.

On the meantime, everyone was staring at Naruto, a very awkward silence now towering the office while the blond boy continued staring at the floor. Unconsciously, Hinata's hand had run down his arm until her fingers entwined with his, but none of two young adults cared about it as they waited for someone to say something…for something to happen…anything!

"Well, that explains it." Kiba started, and Naruto cringed as he waited for the member of the Izunuka clan to proceed, and unconsciously he increased his grip on Hinata's hand. "I always knew there had to be an explanation for you to be the baka you are, and for you to have the elegance of an idiotic ninja."

"Huh?" was all Naruto managed to ask as he dared to look up to his friends, and then Shikamaru sighed.

"Man, this is so troublesome, what did you expect us to do?" the bored genius asked, and Naruto stared dumbfounded at him. "You can't possibly be expecting us to start screaming like girls and run away from you."

"I err…"

"Hey, if you scream like a girl that's your problem, but don't you dare to make any other macho comment." Ino snapped, and Shikamaru sighed at same time he muttered something about everything being a drag.

And for the first time, Naruto felt as if he did not had a trouble in the world.

"Tsunade-sama, Sasuke-kun left the village!" Sakura shouted as she stormed inside the office, and Naruto's grateful smile faded from his face.

Perhaps he was wrong.

**To Be Continued…**

_**Note:**_ I just wanted to say that I did base my ideas for Sasuke's departure in the _double_ _episode_ 100 and 101.


	19. See Me

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and the unknown characters.

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»takes a deep breath« Okay people, I have a very important notice for you, and hum….well, you see, the thing is that this is the **_last_** chapter. Therefore**, I want to thank everyone for staying with me throughout my first _Naruto_ fic**; everyone from those who reviewed, and told me their thoughts and ideas (I will not mention your names in fear of forgetting someone, but you know who you are), to my ghost-readers who allowed this fic to reach such high number of hits.

All your support was very important for the continuation of this fic, and for everything you did, I thank you.

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**Chapter 18**

See Me

Everything was, to put it simple, a commotion.

After Naruto's confession, everyone had revealed to be more than okay with his secret, but there had been no time to celebrate. Not after Sakura storming inside the office, crying and shouting that Uchiha Sasuke had left the village without asking for permission. And such reckless action had lead to the decision of sending orders to all villages, saying that Sasuke was now a missing-nin.

Aside from that, Naruto and Sakura had immediately requested for Tsunade to allow them to go after Sasuke. When the Hokage told them that it was impossible, both had started saying that they were Sasuke's friends, and that they had to go after him no matter what. However, it was only when the two of them threatened about leaving the village without permission that Tsunade had snapped, accusing them of being irresponsible and of allowing emotions to control them when they were supposed to behave like real ninja.

After that, everyone was sent back to their homes, but Tsunade had also ordered for the senseis of the teams to keep an eye on the students. And such had mostly to do with the fact that she knew that some of the Chunnin, mainly Sakura and Naruto, could try to do something foolish.

And now, even though everyone had already left, Tsunade felt as if she was being attacked by the monster of paper, because documents and files seemed to spring from the ground. In fact, when she was positive she was finished, Shizune would emerge carrying huge piles that made Tsunade twitch.

On the meantime Kakashi, Mesi and Jiraiya were on a tree, watching Naruto and everybody else sitting on the ground, whispering among each other, and yet oblivious of the three figures observing them. Observing how some things were slowly changing…how people were slowly getting closer while others drifted apart…

"I'm glad to see that Lee is not completely like Gai." Jiraiya commented suddenly as he leaned against the tree's trunk, his arms pressed against his chest as he watched Lee trying to calm Sakura down by allowing the girl to rest her head on his shoulder. "Hum…I sense some romance there."

"Stop being such a pervert, Jiraiya, the girl just lost the guy she loves, and you already want to see some other boy hitting on her?" Mesi questioned suddenly, as she stood next to the man, her arms also pressed against her chest while her eyes were focused on the group below them. "If you want to see some romance though, I think you should stick with Naruto and Hinata."

"Yes, I noticed their behavior when Naruto was telling everyone about Kyuubi." Kakashi commented without looking up from his book as he continued crouched on the branch, and Mesi immediately punched him on the top of his head. "Ow. What now?"

"You're here to pay attention to your students, not to that damn book." Mesi retorted as she crossed her arms again, and Kakashi looked up at her before sighing, and silently he put the book back in his pouch. "I wonder how Tsunade handles being around so many perverts."

"You have a good way of finding that out." Jiraiya started, and Mesi stared at him by the corner of her eyes. "Stick around, and find out for yourself."

With a roll of her eyes, Mesi stared at the group again only to smile faintly when she saw how close Hinata was to Naruto, although she was blushing slightly. Everyone else was too busy plotting a way of getting Sasuke back to notice that.

"So, I still think the best way is to follow him until we're certain that we can corner him." Kiba started glancing at Akamaru, when the dog that was lying beside Suki made a strange noise with its throat. "Akamaru will be able to pick up Sasuke's smell with no problem at all."

"No, because by the time Tsunade-sama lets us go, it will be too late." Shino spoke calmly, and everyone turned to him. "We have to think of something else. I believe that only Naruto will be able to bring Sasuke back."

At those words everyone stared at Naruto only to see the boy staring down, his clenched hands resting on his knees since he was sitting in Indian-style. His eyes that minutes ago had been filled with happiness and relief were now blazing with anger and sadness. His face was also blank, on contrary of Sakura's that was now marked with trails of tears.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata called out as she rested a hand on the boy's arm, and the blond looked up only to gaze at the heiress of the Hyuuga before noticing that everyone else was watching him. "Are you alright?"

"No, I want to kill that bastard!" Naruto exclaimed, and few were the ones who saw Lee wrapping an arm around Sakura's shoulder when the girl cringed. "I don't know what the hell possessed him to leave Konoha, but he's going to regret it!"

"Naruto." Neji spoke suddenly, also sitting in Indian-style, his arms pressed against his chest, and the blond turned to him. "This is something you mustn't do alone. You may be the only one who can convince Sasuke to come back, but you can't go on this mission alone."

"What are you saying?" Naruto questioned, feeling Hinata shift closer to him although she had dropped her hand by now, and a sigh made everyone turn to Shikamaru, who was sitting next to Hana.

"Man, stop being so troublesome, do we need to spell it out for you?" the bored genius asked, and Naruto turned to him. "I need to be honest with you; Sasuke isn't a close friend of mine. I don't even like him. But he is the same as us, a ninja from the Hidden Village of Konoha. He is our comrade. This is why we will put our lives on the line to bring him back. This is the way of the Konoha. It's damn troublesome, even for me, but we have to do it." (1)

"Tsk, I gotta say he's right." Kiba commented as he smirked at same time Lee screamed a 'YOSH!', and everyone else either started cheering or shouting in support. Naruto, on the meantime, could not help but smile warmly at everyone, Sakura watching her friends in silence. "Lets get Sasuke back!"

"I'm sorry to interrupt this, but I believe there's something you must know." Suki spoke suddenly, and everyone calmed down at her deadpanned tone, her eyes locked with Naruto's form. "You cannot depend only on one beast; Akamaru may have a magnificent nose, but you need a feline to follow a feline."

"What the hell is your problem?" Kiba asked suddenly as he turned to the girl, sitting between him and Akamaru. "Man, do you have a problem with dogs? Dogs are the most reliable animals on earth."

"Perhaps, but we're dealing with felines, not canines." Suki stated, gazing at Kiba with a smug look on her face. "And I don't have problems with dogs, apparently I'm having much more problems dealing with a thickhead guy who thinks he can do everything alone."

"Why I'll just…"

"Kiba." Shino spoke in a determined tone, and the boy stared at his team mate that was sitting across him before growling under his breath, and Suki shook her head before turning her attention back to Naruto and Sakura.

"You know, it's really touching to see that you're all ready to give your lives for your comrade, but you forget the one who took Sasuke away." Suki started, and Sakura glanced at her before straightening up. "You may know Sasuke's strengths and weakness, but you don't know who the other guy is."

"Let me guess, you're going to enlighten us?" Kiba asked sarcastically, and this time Ino, who was sitting next to him, smacked the boy on the head. "Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Just shut it, we want to hear her!" Ino snapped annoyed, and Kiba started muttering profanities under his breath as he rubbed the top of his head.

"Who's the guy?" Naruto asked suddenly, and Suki focused her eyes on him.

"Keahi, the oldest member of my team." Suki started, "Tora got caught because of his behaviour, Naito allowed you to take her away because you have Tokui, but Keahi…he doesn't care less. All he wants is power, and I'm sure he's the one who took Sasuke away."

"Where is he taking Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked suddenly, and Suki glanced at her before shaking her head slightly. "If you have a clue where he may be taking Sasuke-kun you have to go tell Tsunade-sama immediately."

"You don't understand." Suki started, her voice coming out softer than before, and Naruto closed his right hand into a strong fist, and Sakura stared desperate at the girl. "Keahi only shows up when he wants to be found, not before. Like that guy over there" Suki waved a hand towards Shikamaru, "said we can go after them, but I assure you that Keahi won't show up until he thinks its time."

"If you think I'm going to stay quiet in Konoha just because you think we can't find Sasuke-kun, you're wrong!" Sakura exclaimed as she stood up, anger visible in her eyes, and everyone stared at her. "I'm going to bring him back!"

"I'm not entirely sure about that, since you failed to make him stay when you talked to him." Suki retorted calmly, and Lee was forced to hold Sakura back when the pink haired girl tried to advance towards Suki. "I'm not trying to stop you, I'm just trying to stop you from having false hopes."

"What would you know? You don't have family!" Sakura snapped, and there was silence.

Slowly everyone turned to Suki, who was simply staring at Sakura with a blank expression on her face, but when she stood up, Kiba and Akamaru mimicked her actions. Even though Suki had yet to reveal emotions, no one knew what she was capable of so all cautions were needed.

"You're right, I lost my family six years ago." Suki started calmly, her hard eyes locked with Sakura's blazing ones. "And that's exactly why I told you all this; because I don't want any of you to believe that something may come out of this quest. You will find Sasuke, I'm simply warning you that it won't be right away."

"We can try!" Sakura exclaimed, still with her hands clenched into strong fists even though Lee was holding her arm. "We can try to find him, and Naruto can try to bring him back!"

"She's right." Naruto spoke suddenly, and everyone turned to him, and slowly the boy stood up, Hinata still sitting on the ground next to him. "Both of you are right; we are going to try to find Sasuke, and perhaps it will take weeks, months…years, but it doesn't matter, we will find him, and I _will_ bring him back."

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered at same time Sakura stared surprised at her team mate, and then Naruto rose his thumb in his 'nice guy' pose.

"That's a promise I make."

"He sure grew up." Jiraiya commented with a small smile, and Kakashi nodded as he continued to stare at Naruto.

"Yes, he knows when its time to be matured." Kakashi added before shrugging. "Although it's so rare to see him this determined that one cannot help but wonder if this isn't a dream."

"I think Naruto will surprise us in the future." Mesi started after a few moments in silence, and the corner of her lips curled into a small smile as she looked from Hinata to Naruto. "After all, he carries inside what was hidden for years."

"Well, what about us meeting here tomorrow to form a plan so that we can go talk to Tsunade-sama afterwards?" Tenten asked suddenly as she stood up, and moments later everyone mimicked her actions. "This way, Tsunade-sama won't be able to refuse."

"Yes, that sounds good." Chouji started as he turned his empty bag of chips upside down, and sighed when nothing fell from inside. "Man, I have to go home; I'm hungry. Hana, do you want to come with me?"

"Eh, I'll take her." Shikamaru spoke before Hana had the time to open her mouth, and Chouji nodded before grabbing Ino's arm, and start pulling the girl with him.

Moments later, Lee spoke up, saying that he was going to take Sakura home while Neji and Tenten also said their goodbyes, but not before asking Hinata if she wanted to go with them.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered as she stood up, and turned to the blond, who took his eyes away from Sakura's retreating form to look at her. "I hope I can help you in this mission. I-I know that Sasuke-san was like a brother to you."

"Arigatou, Hinata, I seriously don't know if I would have done what I did if you hadn't been there for me." Naruto thanked with a small smile, and the girl blushed a deep shade of red as she started twiddling her fingers. "Thank you for being with me."

"Y-You're welcome." Hinata whispered before bowing in respect, and before Naruto could say anything else the girl run to Neji and Tenten, who were still waiting for her.

As he sighed, Naruto also said his goodbye to Shikamaru and Hana, and walked away, leaving the two young adults alone. The sun had set before everyone had had the time to acknowledge it, and stars were already twinkling on the dark sky while the Full Moon continued making its way to its throne, on the top of the dark ocean above.

"Shikamaru-san, you don't need to take me home." Hana started as she used the crutch to keep her balance, and the boy sighed as the two of them started walking. "I can go alone. I'm sure I can still catch Chouji."

"Tsk, I went through too much trouble to let you leave like this." Shikamaru started, and Hana blinked at his words. "It was a drag, but when you left the hospital, I asked my father to go search for that book of yours."

"Y-You did?"

"Hai, it was too troublesome, but my father found it close to the tree where we were attacked." Shikamaru sighed before taking a book with a dark green cover from his pouch. "And I think you should talk with Chouji's father, some of the medicines you have there were unknown to my father."

"Y-You read it?" Hana asked as she stopped walking in order to grab the book, and her eyes slowly slipped away from the cover as she gazed at Shikamaru, who sighed.

"I told you, it sucks to be at the hospital, much less without having anything to do." Shikamaru commented, and Hana blinked. "I think my father is going to talk with Choza-san because of that book."

"Oh…" Hana muttered before holding the book against her chest, but when she was about to start walking, Shikamaru sighed again, and the girl looked at him. "Are you alright? Are your wounds troubling you?"

"Want to play Shogi?" Shikamaru asked suddenly, and Hana arched an eyebrow slightly in confusion, and the boy tsk'ed again. "Let me guess, you don't know how to play."

"Err…a little." Hana replied, "But hum…don't you think it's a bit late?"

At that Shikamaru shrugged, the corner of his lips curling into a faint smile.

**"**In life, nothing good comes out of hurrying**."**

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With quick steps Naruto made his way towards the spot where the meeting was going to take place. Tsunade had no idea that the ninja were plotting a plan that would stop her from not allowing them to go after Sasuke. Naruto was positive that Shikamaru had already thought of something (he was not the genius for nothing), but Naruto himself had thought about some things too.

But the real reason why Naruto was not so hasty about what had happened was because of his friends. They had accepted him…they had not run away from him…they had not turned their backs to him; in fact, the opposite had happened, and Naruto could avow that all of them were even closer than before. After all his friends had done what the older villagers had refused to do.

They had seen him…

"N-Naruto-kun!" a voice called-out, and Naruto dug his heels on the ground at the voice before swirling around, and a wide smile appeared on his face when he saw Hinata standing behind him.

She was blushing as always, her eyes locked with the ground as she continued to twiddle her fingers. Her hair was blowing at the wind, and Naruto had come to realize that she did look pretty that way; not that she was not before, but Naruto guessed that it had only been now that he had actually grown closer to the girl that he had noticed that Hinata was not just a dark and gloomy girl.

"Hinata!" Naruto exclaimed, waving a hand in the air, and the girl approached him still blushing and without any eye-contact. "Wanna come with me? I was just on my way to go meet everyone else."

"H-Hai, I was going there too." Hinata muttered, a small smile on her face, and Naruto beamed at her.

"Sweet! C'mon, we have to rush. I really want to tell everyone about my plan to get that bastard back." with those words, Naruto grabbed Hinata's wrist, and started pulling her as he walked.

"Eh, Naruto-kun, aren't you sad?" Hinata asked, and Naruto shrugged.

"No, I'm too angry at Sasuke to be sad." the blond started, and Hinata blinked at his words. "Sasuke was always an idiot, but to see him leaving like that…and leave Sakura-chan behind no less. It angers me to see that he actually choose power over friendship."

"B-But…"

"But I'm okay with it, because you're with me!" Naruto exclaimed suddenly, not really noticing how those words had came out from his lips, and Hinata went red. "I know you guys will always be with me, and together we will bring Sasuke-teme back!"

"Naruto." a voice called suddenly, and the blond stopped so suddenly that Hinata bumped against him, flushing a bright red color before stepping backwards. Slowly, Naruto turned to his side, and his eyes meet a pair of colored ones.

"Mesi-nee-chan!" Naruto shouted suddenly, and the woman smiled warmly at him as she walked towards them, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, there's no need for me to stay in Konoha anymore, so I decided to come see you one last time before leaving." Mesi started as she stopped one arm-length away from the blond only to smile at Hinata, when she glanced at the girl. "I want to tell you something, that I hope you'll remember in the future."

"Nani?" Naruto asked before looking troubled. "Wait! You're leaving? Why?"

"Naruto, that's not important right now, what I wanted to tell you is though. Listen, I believe in you." Mesi started, and Naruto stared surprised at her which made the older woman smile tenderly at him. "I believe that one day you will become the Hokage, and I believe that one day you'll make everything they," Mesi glanced at the heads of the Hokages, "wanted to do to come true."

"I…I don't understand." Naruto started, but he blinked when Mesi ruffled his spiky hair before glancing at Hinata.

"I believe that you will show to everyone that friendship and love still have meaning in this world." Mesi turned to Naruto when she saw Hinata blush ten shades of red. "And above all else, I believe you'll do what no one did when they found out what you held inside of you."

"What?" Naruto asked, and Mesi touched the tip of his nose with her index finger, the wind now playing with her long hair as she straightened up, and Mesi rested a hand on her hip.

"I believe that you will see everyone." Mesi started, and Naruto blinked at her as the woman continued to smile at him. "I believe you will see everyone, even those who refused to acknowledge you as an individual when you were younger. I believe that you will become the light this and all the other countries are struggling to find in order to have a good future."

Slowly Mesi moved her head forward so that her forehead was inches away from Naruto's, and then she winked at him.

"And it will be on that instant… It will be on the moment when you will see everyone for who they are, that what you have been trying to do will happen." Mesi continued in a soft tone, and slowly she straightened up, her eyes never leaving Naruto's. "I believe that it will be then that people will see you not as the container of Kyuubi but as Uzumaki Naruto."

Before Naruto had time to open his mouth, Mesi stepped closer to him, and kissed him on the forehead. Then, as she smiled at him, Mesi turned to Hinata and winked at her before waving, and silently she started walking away.

"Mesi-nee-chan!" Naruto shouted when Mesi was about to disappear through a corner, and the older woman looked at him over her shoulder, and then Naruto started waving a hand in the air. "I promise! I promise that one day I'll be acknowledge for who I am!"

"You have already been, Naruto." Mesi whispered before glancing at Hinata, who was standing behind Naruto with her hands clasped in front of her, a blush on the girl's cheeks. "You have been acknowledged by your friends, and now all you have to do is to conquer the world."

**THE END!!!**

(1) – Shikamaru says this on the _double episodes: 110 and 111._

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**_NOTE: _**Very well, like I said at the beginning, this was the _last_ chapter of See Me Not, and once again I thank you all for everything. However, I have another announcement to make; this fic **_has_** a **sequel**. I have already started to write it, and I do have some chapters already written and ready to be posted. The title for the fic is **Hearts of Glass**. The prologue will be posted on Wednesday, the 21st of March, and will be rated M while the categories will be Drama/Romance.

Muito Obrigada Por Tudo! (Thank You A Lot For Everything!)


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